Yahoo! News - Iraqi Interim Government Declares Martial Law
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's interim government declared a state of emergency for 60 days on Sunday to quell violence gripping the country ahead of January elections.

The state of emergency, equivalent to martial law, would apply throughout Iraq except the Kurdish north, a spokesman for interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said.

"We have decided to declare a state of emergency in all areas of Iraq, with the exception of the region of Kurdistan for a period of 60 days," spokesman Thaer al-Naqib told reporters.

He said the decision was intended to crush insurgents behind relentless bombings, killings and kidnappings ahead of elections scheduled for the end of January but threatened by the violence.