The curfew in Baghdad will be lifted Monday, after the clashes between Iraqi security forces and Shiite militias finally came to an end, after a week.

According to Agence France-Presse, the curfew will be lifted at 6 a.m. Baghdad time, but a ban on driving vehicles will remain active in the neighbourhoods of Baghdad City, in areas that were most damaged during the fighting.

The decision to lift the curfew came a day after the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr urged his fighters to end the violence in Basra and requested the government to stop arresting his followers and free them from prison.

The Iraqi government appreciated Sadr’s decision to resolve the conflict and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the cleric’s action as “a step in the right direction.”

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Sadr’s move was “positive and responsible,” but he also warned that Iraqi security forces would arrest the ones who did not follow the order.

“We expect a wide response to this call,” he declared. “After this announcement, anybody who targets the government and its institutions will be regarded ... as outlaws.”

Firing could still be heard, a few hours after Sadr’s statement was issued, and rockets or mortars were fired in the US-protected Green Zone.

People in the Green Zone were advised to remain inside the houses and stay away from windows.

During the week of fighting, almost 200 people have been killed in Baghdad and the neighbouring areas, government and security officials reported. 97 of these were killed in Basra, where other 300 were also injured.