The deteriorating security situation and threats from armed groups have forced many Iraqi pregnant women to have caesarean operations before natural dates, a medical source told Xinhua on Thursday.
"Tuesday and Thursday morning witnessed a remarkable demand of pregnant women to take caesarean operations to deliver babies, just days ahead of the elections" said Samiyah Kamil, a nurse at the Al Salama private hospital in Hay Al Yarmook, west of Baghdad.
About 100 deliveries took place and they were all caesarean during the past 24 hours, Kamil said.
"They are afraid of a wave of violence and security precautions to precede the elections, which might make it impossible to arrive at hospital in time," she said.
"Hospital will be closed as of Friday after the government announces a curfew, and it would not receive regular cases, because it would only give assistance for emergency cases only, and patients already there would leave for their homes on Friday," she said.
"I had to accept a caesarian operation for my wife who is in the ninth month of pregnancy, and before the elections, most of hospitals, especially private ones, would close. It would also be difficult to find a car at that time to go to hospital," said Sarmad Ali, whose wife took the operation.
"I am concerned about my wife because armed groups threatened to target any person moving in cars on the voting day and I was afraid that she would give birth on Jan. 30," he said.
In spite of severe security precautions, which will take effective since Friday, violence is still mounting throughout the war-torn country.
Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, Jordanian-born extremist and head of Al- Qaida organization in Iraq, has threatened to launch a war against the elections, while the secret Islamic Army has threatened to target anyone participating in the elections.