Wednesday, November 15, 2006
'Salvation councils' against Iran formed in Diyala, Basra
Security
So far there have been reports of provincial-level self-help "salvation councils" in Al-Anbar province (originally in response to the AlQaeda/Islamic Emirate presence in Ramadi); and then in Ninawa province (which includes Mosul, in response to Islamic Emirate activities in that city). Today the news service Quds Press reports on something similar in Diyala province, directly north of Baghdad. There have been reports of AlQaeda/Islamic Emirate activity in that region, but this effort is described as a defence not against AlQaeda or the Islamic emirate, but rather against the Iranian influence.
The report says: "Ten political and civic groups have formed a broad front to protect Diyala from Iranian influence, which has turned the city of Diyala into one of the most violent in the country, after Baghdad". The announcement said the new coalition "will take upon itself the protection of Diyala from Iranian control". The coalition is called "Patriotic (Wataniy) Front for the Salvation of Diyala". The member-groups include: Arab Socialist Movement; Iraqi Front for National Dialogue; Islamic Party; Independent Patriotic Notables Group (?); Turkmen Justice Party; Diyala section of the Iraqi Commission for establishment of a Civic Assembly; and others. The initial announcement said the security situation in the province is intolerable, with problems including killing of patriotic citizens by both the forces of the Interior Ministry and the Defence Ministry of the government.
The group's statement describes Diyala as strategically the gateway to Baghdad [from the north and east], making it fertile ground for the foreign elements to organize themselves, and in particular the Iranians. It said the national and local governments have proven themselves incapable of defending against this, and instead have in effect opened the gates to an inundation of agents and destroyers moving from Iran to Iraq via this province. And it said these views about Iranians coming to Iraq, and Revolutionary Guard people and Iranian intelligence people penetrating the Iraqi law-enforcement agencies, has started to be taken up by politicians too, citing a recent accusation made by one Saad al-Janani, head of something called Iraqi Republican Assembly, who said the Iranians are behind the collapse of security in Iraq.
This item concludes by noting something similar is happening in Basra, where an armed group calling itself "Southern Brigades" has formed to fight what it describes as agents of the Iranian regime in Basra.
