Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki claimed today that a military crackdown in Baghdad aimed at taking on armed groups will leave militants with nowhere to hide.
In a speech to the Iraqi parliament today, Mr Maliki urged politicians on all sides to support his Baghdad security plan, backed by some 17,000 US reinforcements, which is seen by many as a last chance to stem sectarian violence in the capital.
"There will be no safe haven - no school, no home, no (Sunni) mosque or Shia mosque. They will all be raided if they are turned into a launchpad for terrorism, even the headquarters of political parties," he said.
Mr Maliki, criticised for not doing enough about Shia militias linked to some of his allies, has vowed to take on armed groups regardless of sect or political affiliation.
"We have worked hard to get professional officers to lead this plan, with no political affiliations. So let's all help these officers," he said, answering criticism that the Iraqi army and police are infiltrated by sectarian militias.
Washington has identified the Mehdi Army, a militia loyal to radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, as the greatest threat to security in Iraq and has warned that the success of Mr Maliki's plan depends on him going after Shia militias with as much determination as he deals with Sunni Arab insurgents.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announcing details of his crackdown plan
The prime minister, who depends on Sadr's political movement for key support in parliament, has been accused of failing to crack down on the Mehdi Army in the past.
Officials in his Shia Alliance say he has now accepted he must take action.
A senior member of the Sadrist movement, Bahaa al-Araji, pledged the group's support for the plan in parliament, as did the main Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties.
Mr Maliki said Iraqi security forces would start to remove squatters from Baghdad homes they have illegally occupied since the owners fled sectarian intimidation and ethnic cleansing.
Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in Baghdad because of violence and threats that have turned many formerly mixed districts into sectarian enclaves.
The United Nations says nearly half a million Iraqis have been internally displaced within Iraq since the bombing of a Shia shrine in February sparked a surge in sectarian attacks. Many more have fled the country.
Mr Maliki rejected suggestions his security plan represented a last chance, however, saying there were no timetables for success.