A powerful Shia leader on Thursday backed an Iraqi government plan to secure Baghdad, hours after U.S. President George W. Bush announced thousands of new troops would be sent to the violent capital.

"The government should strike with an iron fist against those who endanger the safety of people," said Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, who heads the 130-member Shia bloc in parliament.

Shia leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim says bringing stability back to Baghdad will get foreign troops out of the country faster.
(Karim Kadim/Associated Press)

His comments came after Bush pledged during a prime-time televised speech Wednesday to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. Bush also called on Iraqis to take responsibility for their own security, including cracking down on violent militias.

Al-Hakim's backing for the new security drive was crucial if the government and U.S. forces are to succeed in what could be a last attempt to curb the sectarian bloodshed that threatens the capital.

On the weekend, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced his government's new security plan for Baghdad, which consists of neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood sweeps by Iraqi forces backed by U.S. troops targeting Shia militias and their rival Sunni insurgents.

On Wednesday, senior Iraqi officials said al-Maliki had agreed under U.S. pressure to crack down on the Mahdi Army militia, which has been blamed for much of the sectarian violence that has killed thousands.

Al-Maliki, who last week said he wanted to leave his job early, had been resisting the move to target fighters led by his most powerful political ally, radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The Iraqi leader has had strained relations with Washington, which has questioned his ability to lead.

No restrictions in Baghdad: Bush

Bush, whose speech was carried live on American and Iraqi television, said the prime minister had agreed to lift restrictions on American soldiers, who had been prevented from entering certain areas in Baghdad.

"This time, Iraqi and American forces will have a green light to enter those neighbourhoods," Bush said. "Prime Minister Maliki has pledged that political or sectarian interference will not be tolerated."

Bush said 17,500 new troops would be sent to the unstable capital, while 4,000 would be sent to the violent province of Anbar.

Al-Hakim said bringing stability back to Baghdad will get foreign troops out of the country faster.

"The great march of reconstruction will begin after guaranteeing security and then all justification for the presence of multinational forces will be removed," he said.

U.S. Democratic leaders, whose party took control of Congress on a promise to end the war, issued a statement opposing the plan, saying it doesn't do enough to solve the problems.

With files from the Associated Press