BAGHDAD — Seeking to normalize life in the embattled capital, Iraq’s prime minister said Thursday that the authorities would lift a nighttime curfew in Baghdad that has been in force, with some interruptions, for over a decade.
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The lifting of the curfew also appeared to be an attempt by the government to show it was making progress in the battle against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, at a time when its security forces are facing competition from Shiite militias fighting around the country. As they have pushed back the Sunni militants from the Islamic State in several areas, the militia leaders — who are allied with the government but operate largely under their own authority — have sought to portray themselves as Iraq’s most effective fighting force.
