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An
Iraq man celebrates in the streets of Baghdad
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People
in Baghdad have been celebrating the lifting of a 12-year-old curfew in the
Iraqi capital. Pictures on social media showed people dancing in the streets as
the restriction came to an end at midnight local time (21:00 GMT).
Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi said he had taken the decision to help normalize life
in Baghdad.
It
came despite a string of explosions in the capital which killed at least 32
people on Saturday.
Residents
had previously had their movements restricted between the hours of 00:00 and
05:00.
The
curfew was introduced as a security measure in the violent aftermath of the
2003 US-led invasion.
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Iraq's
Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi gestures during a news conference
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An
official from Mr Abadi's office said the decision to lift it had been made
"despite the existence of a state of war", AFP news agency reports.
Bombings
and explosions remain a fact of life for many in Iraq's capital.
Ministers
have also had to deal with the threat of Islamic State (IS) militants seizing
large swathes of territory close to the city.
At
least one of Saturday's bombings was claimed by IS, according to the Site
Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi activity.
It
was carried out by a suicide attacker who detonated his explosives near a
restaurant, killing at least 22 people.
Explosions
rocked Baghdad just hours before the curfew was lifted
There
were also a series of separate blasts on Saturday, including one at a central
market.
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Iraq's security forces stood guard in Baghdad on
Saturday night
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An
interior ministry spokesman said he did not believe the attacks were connected
with the government's decision to end the curfew, Reuters news agency.
Last
year there were fears that IS gunmen might attack Baghdad following their sweep
across Iraq and Syria.
But following Western
intervention against the group, the government has regained some of its lost
territory.
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