An Iraqi Sunni Arab political group criticized Tuesday Iraqi defense minister for his threats of imminent offensives against insurgents in Sunni dominated Anbar province following the raid on northern town of Tal Afar.

"We would like to tell the minister that the people of Anbar were waiting for him to tell them that the foreign troops and the government forces would leave their cities," the Iraqi Council for National Dialogue said in a statement.

The current crackdown in Tal Afar and the coming ones are aimed at preventing the Sunni Arabs from participating in the referendum on the draft constitution to be held by Oct. 15 and general elections for political reasons and in the interest of certain parties, the statement said.

The Sunni Arabs, a dominant minority under the regime of ousted president Saddam Hussein, are opposed to the draft constitution as it stipulates federalism which they fear could split up Iraq.

Despite Sunnis' objection and their threat to veto the charter in the referendum, the Shiites-Kurds dominated parliament declared finish of the draft document and submitted it to the voters last month.

On Sunday, Iraq's defense minister Sadoun al-Dulaimi told a news conference that similar offensives would be imminent to uproot insurgency in the cities of Anbar province.

"We tell our people in Ramadi, Samarra, Rawa and Qaim that we are coming. There would be no refuge for the terrorists," Dulaimi said.

US and Iraqi forces Tuesday continued operation to rid insurgents and foreign fighters of the northern restive town of Tal Afar, some 420 km north of Baghdad.

The ethnic Turkmen account for 90 percent of residents in Tal Afar, about 70 percent of them are Sunnis.

Source: Xinhua