Iraq said yesterday it would close borders with Syria and Iran for at least three days under security plan aimed at pacifying the capital, said Lieutenant General Abboud Gambar, commander of the Iraqi troops in Baghdad.

Gambar, who spoke on behalf of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said in an address to the nation on the state television that four Iranian and two Syrian border posts would be closed for 72 hours before reopening, but did not say when the closure would be underway.

He also said that the capital's night curfew would be extended from 8:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) to 6:00 a.m. (0300 GMT). It now runs from 11:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.

Under the new measures, Baghdad will be divided into 10 districts jointly patrolled by U.S. troops and forces from the Iraqi defense and interior ministries.

President George W. Bush plans to send more 21,500 troops to Iraq and thousands of them have begun arriving in Baghdad to support the security plan which aimed to crackdown on insurgency and sectarian violence in the war-torn country.