According to a statement from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office, the curfew would remain in force until 6:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Sunday and all pedestrians and road traffic was banned from the streets.

    The statement gave no reason for the ban, which is believed to aim at curbing rampant violence in Baghdad during Ramadan. U.S. commanders say the capital has seen a surge in violence in the past week with the beginning of Ramadan.

    Chief of the al-Qaida in Iraq Abu Ayyub al-Masri Thursday issued an audiotape on an Internet, calling on his followers to capture foreigners during the holy month of Ramadan in a bid to free a Muslim cleric jailed in the United States.

    On Friday, a brother-in-law of a judge trying Saddam Hussein for genocide in Anfal operation was shot dead by unknown armed men in a western Baghdad neighborhood, a well-informed police source told Xinhua. Enditem

    Special Report: Tension escalates in Iraq