Curfew imposed in Baghdad ahead of anniversary

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A 24-hour vehicle ban will be in force in Baghdad on Monday as the capital marks the fourth anniversary of the fall of the city to U.S. forces, an Iraqi military official said on Sunday.

"There will be protests marking the fourth anniversary. We don't want to give the terrorists a chance to use this opportunity," said Brigadier Qassim Moussawi, spokesman for a U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown in the city.

Moussawi said the vehicle ban would start at 5 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Monday and end at 5 a.m. the following day.

Four-hour vehicle bans are enforced weekly in Baghdad to protect worshippers against car bombs during Friday prayers, but day-long curfews are more unusual.

The government imposed a three-day curfew on Baghdad last November after 200 people were killed in a multiple bombing in the Shi'ite stronghold of Sadr City.

The two-month-old U.S.-Iraqi offensive in Baghdad has succeeded in reducing the murder rate, but car bombs still plague the city.