Baghdad/London/Washington, Sep 30 (DPA) The Iraq government issued an immediate, total 36-hour curfew in Baghdad that will force residents to remain inside their homes until 6.00 a.m. Sunday morning, reports said.

An Iraqi official said late Friday the security measure applied to pedestrians and automobiles, but he did not give the reason for the curfew, the BBC reported. The curfew began at 11.00 p.m. Friday night.

US military officials and some Iraqi officials were taken by surprise with the decision, CNN reported.

Thousands of civilians are killed every month in the escalating sectarian conflict in Iraq.

Earlier Friday, the brother-in-law and nephew of Mohammed al-Oreibi, the judge heading the genocide trial of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, were killed by gunmen in western Baghdad, security sources said.

Sources told DPA that unidentified militants opened fire at the family of the judge's sister in al-Ghazaliya district in western Baghdad, killing her husband and seven-year-old son.

The judge's sister, who was severely wounded, was taken to hospital.

It was not clear whether there was a direct connection between the judge's function and the attack on his relatives or simply a result of inter-religious violence.