Iraqi PM: 615 Detained in Anti-Baathist Sweep
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BAGHDAD -- Iraq's prime minister says 615 people have been detained in a security sweep targeting members of the former ruling Baath party.
The prime minister's office on Saturday released comments Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made to the state-run Iraqiya TV channel during which he defended the detentions.
He said officials had reason to believe the people arrested were a threat to security but he gave no further details. He did not say when the sweep took place.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Baath Party ruled Iraq under Saddam Hussein but now is outlawed under Iraqi law, and the prime minister has often accused ex-Baathists of planning terrorist attacks across the country.
Many Sunnis, who were disproportionately represented in the party leadership, feel the attacks against Baathists are a thinly veiled way to go after Sunnis.