Iraq launches offensive in Amara

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Iraqi security forces backed by US troops have launched a major operation in Amara, southern Iraq, overnight to drive out Shia militia groups, BBC reports.

So far the situation is said to be normal and no trouble is reported.

Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki had set a deadline of midnight (2100 GMT) for Shia militants around Amara to lay down their weapons.

A similar offensive in Basra in March led to weeks of fierce fighting in which hundreds were killed.

Dozens of militants have already surrendered in the city, a bastion of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr.

It was hoped that this latest move against the militias would succeed without any serious challenge, says a BBC correspondent in Baghdad.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has said he is optimistic that a security agreement with the US will be reached by the end of July.

"There is more flexibility on the US side to reach an agreement that is more acceptable, reasonable both for us and for them too," said Mr Zebari.

A state department spokesman confirmed that the negotiations were making progress and that compromises were being made on both sides.

Last week, Mr Maliki had said negotiations were deadlocked.

The pacts have been at the centre of much debate, both in Iraq and the US. The optimism seems to stem from a US willingness to show flexibility in the talks, says the BBC's US state department correspondent, Kim Ghattas.