Maliki: Basra operation 'was a victory'

Iraq’s prime minister insisted today that the week-long attempted crackdown against militia in Basra had been a “success,” despite the violent backlash it produced.

But Nouri al-Maliki stopped short of declaring an end to the offensive as he faced criticism that the government had been unprepared for the ferocious resistance mounted by Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.