Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Insurgents target Iraqi interpreters in Basra
Security
(UPI) - There were unconfirmed reports Monday Iraqi insurgents targeting Basra citizens who worked for British forces had abducted and killed a former interpreter. Police Col. Ali Manshed told a Times of London correspondent the bullet-riddled body of Moayed Ahmed Khalaf had been found dumped in a city street.
Three other sources said about 10 men stormed the man's house and beat him in front of his wife and mother before taking him away. While the sources said Khalaf had worked as an interpreter for British forces, a military spokesman told the newspaper the army could find no record of Khalaf's employment.
Iraqis who worked for the British are considered collaborators by insurgents and when the British turned over their downtown Basra post to the Iraqi army two weeks ago, Iraqi officials warned former employees to seek safety elsewhere. "All the people who worked for the British forces are not safe now," Manshed told the newspaper. "Even people who quit one or two years ago are in danger."
Three other sources said about 10 men stormed the man's house and beat him in front of his wife and mother before taking him away. While the sources said Khalaf had worked as an interpreter for British forces, a military spokesman told the newspaper the army could find no record of Khalaf's employment.
Iraqis who worked for the British are considered collaborators by insurgents and when the British turned over their downtown Basra post to the Iraqi army two weeks ago, Iraqi officials warned former employees to seek safety elsewhere. "All the people who worked for the British forces are not safe now," Manshed told the newspaper. "Even people who quit one or two years ago are in danger."
Labels: Basra, Basrah, British military, insurgents, Iraqi interpreters, Moayed Ahmed Khalaf
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
As Brits leave Basra their Iraqi interpreters are left to a grissly fate
Humanitarian
(The Guardian) - Read the letters in full here
Britain was accused yesterday of abandoning 91 Iraqi interpreters and their families to face persecution and possible death when British forces withdraw. The Times has learnt that the Government has ignored personal appeals from senior army officers in Basra to relax asylum regulations and make special arrangements for Iraqis whose loyal services have put their lives at risk.
One interpreter, who has worked with the Army since 2004 and wanted to start a new life in Britain after British Forces pull out was told by Downing Street that he would receive no special favours and to read a government website. There is mounting evidence of a campaign by militants to target “collaborators” as British Forces prepare to leave. Hundreds of interpreters and other locally engaged staff working for the coalition have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered over the past four years.
Denmark has already made special arrangements to help its Iraqi staff and the Americans are set to accept 7,000 Iraqi refugees.
Armed with a glowing reference from his commander, Major Pauric Newland, stating that his life would be in danger once British Forces left, A Kinani made a personal appeal to Tony Blair, during his last visit to Iraq as Prime Minister in May. His letter was handed to Ruth Turner, a former No 10 adviser, and a reply was sent on June 22 by Nick Banner, a former foreign policy adviser, who informed Mr Kinani that he was not eligible for asylum. He suggested that he went to a third country and applied for a visa and advised him to look at a website for help. “This is cowardly,” Mr Kinani told The Times. “The British make us easy food near the lion’s mouth.”
Last month Denmark granted asylum to 60 former Iraqi staff and their families before its forces withdrew from the south. The US has said it will take in 7,000 Iraqis this year, including former employees. But Britain has so far refused to make an exception. The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said yesterday that Iraqi employees would receive no special help in applying for asylum.
“Anyone who is seeking to apply for refugee status must do so from within the United Kingdom. There is no exception to that,” said a Home Office spokesman. “Their cases will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis against the criteria of the 1951 Refugee Convention.” Senior politicians and serving officers have appealed to the Government to reconsider and there are hints that some ministers are in favour of resettling former Iraqi employees. One senior British officer in Iraq also hinted that Whitehall was beginning to feel the pressure for a U-turn.
William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said: “Britain has benefited from the services of these Iraqis in carrying out our responsibilities in Iraq. As Britain reduces its military presence in Iraq, we ought to look to the safety of those who have risked their lives to help us.” David Winnick, a senior Labour MP, said: “I would hope that the authorities here would be no less generous than the Danes.” The British position was criticised yesterday by human rights groups. Tom Porteous, the director of Human Rights Watch in the UK, said that the Government should reverse its policy.
Britain was accused yesterday of abandoning 91 Iraqi interpreters and their families to face persecution and possible death when British forces withdraw. The Times has learnt that the Government has ignored personal appeals from senior army officers in Basra to relax asylum regulations and make special arrangements for Iraqis whose loyal services have put their lives at risk.
One interpreter, who has worked with the Army since 2004 and wanted to start a new life in Britain after British Forces pull out was told by Downing Street that he would receive no special favours and to read a government website. There is mounting evidence of a campaign by militants to target “collaborators” as British Forces prepare to leave. Hundreds of interpreters and other locally engaged staff working for the coalition have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered over the past four years.
Denmark has already made special arrangements to help its Iraqi staff and the Americans are set to accept 7,000 Iraqi refugees.
Armed with a glowing reference from his commander, Major Pauric Newland, stating that his life would be in danger once British Forces left, A Kinani made a personal appeal to Tony Blair, during his last visit to Iraq as Prime Minister in May. His letter was handed to Ruth Turner, a former No 10 adviser, and a reply was sent on June 22 by Nick Banner, a former foreign policy adviser, who informed Mr Kinani that he was not eligible for asylum. He suggested that he went to a third country and applied for a visa and advised him to look at a website for help. “This is cowardly,” Mr Kinani told The Times. “The British make us easy food near the lion’s mouth.”
Last month Denmark granted asylum to 60 former Iraqi staff and their families before its forces withdrew from the south. The US has said it will take in 7,000 Iraqis this year, including former employees. But Britain has so far refused to make an exception. The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said yesterday that Iraqi employees would receive no special help in applying for asylum.
“Anyone who is seeking to apply for refugee status must do so from within the United Kingdom. There is no exception to that,” said a Home Office spokesman. “Their cases will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis against the criteria of the 1951 Refugee Convention.” Senior politicians and serving officers have appealed to the Government to reconsider and there are hints that some ministers are in favour of resettling former Iraqi employees. One senior British officer in Iraq also hinted that Whitehall was beginning to feel the pressure for a U-turn.
William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said: “Britain has benefited from the services of these Iraqis in carrying out our responsibilities in Iraq. As Britain reduces its military presence in Iraq, we ought to look to the safety of those who have risked their lives to help us.” David Winnick, a senior Labour MP, said: “I would hope that the authorities here would be no less generous than the Danes.” The British position was criticised yesterday by human rights groups. Tom Porteous, the director of Human Rights Watch in the UK, said that the Government should reverse its policy.
Labels: asylum, Basra, British government, British military, FCO, Human Rights Watch, Iraqi interpreters
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Iraqi foreign minister asks Brown not to withdraw British troops
Security
(AFP) - Prime Minister-designate Gordon Brown should not withdraw British troops from Iraq, the war-torn country's foreign minister said Thursday as he cautioned that it is important not to show insurgents any sign of weakness. "We hope that the new prime minister, Mr Brown, is also a friend of Iraq and of the Iraqi people, and will not take any spectacular decisions," Hoshyar Zebari told AFP.
Brown is set to replace Prime Minister Tony Blair, one of the architects of the Iraq war, on June 27 after a decade as finance minister under him. "I believe there is the impression that he is seeking to differentiate himself from Mr Blair, and that one of the points is Iraq," Zebari said. "We must really reinforce the international coalition. The stakes are too important for all of us, which is why we hope that right now our friends in Great Britain and in the British government will remain at our sides."
The Blair government has already pledged to bring home about 1,600 troops from Iraq this year, reducing the country's force there to about 5,500. The Times newspaper published an interview with Zebari in which he expressed identical views. He also said although the situation was bad in Basra, where most British troops are based, it is not as bad as Baghdad.
"It needs better governance... The police force there is weak, the military is weak, the city council is not united," Zebari told The Times. He said the key question that had to be answered before British troops could be withdrawn was about the readiness of the Iraqi security forces to take their place. "Are we there or not? That is the question. By the time the British will make their decision whether to reduce, to draw down, that formula has to be correct."
Zebari also addressed the matter of whether Iraqi MPs want foreign troops in the country, noting that his government would be arguing in parliament that they are still needed. He noted that support for troop deployments in Iraq from voters in Britain and the United States is waning, telling the paper: "If you take all this, of course it is very significant."
Brown is set to replace Prime Minister Tony Blair, one of the architects of the Iraq war, on June 27 after a decade as finance minister under him. "I believe there is the impression that he is seeking to differentiate himself from Mr Blair, and that one of the points is Iraq," Zebari said. "We must really reinforce the international coalition. The stakes are too important for all of us, which is why we hope that right now our friends in Great Britain and in the British government will remain at our sides."
The Blair government has already pledged to bring home about 1,600 troops from Iraq this year, reducing the country's force there to about 5,500. The Times newspaper published an interview with Zebari in which he expressed identical views. He also said although the situation was bad in Basra, where most British troops are based, it is not as bad as Baghdad.
"It needs better governance... The police force there is weak, the military is weak, the city council is not united," Zebari told The Times. He said the key question that had to be answered before British troops could be withdrawn was about the readiness of the Iraqi security forces to take their place. "Are we there or not? That is the question. By the time the British will make their decision whether to reduce, to draw down, that formula has to be correct."
Zebari also addressed the matter of whether Iraqi MPs want foreign troops in the country, noting that his government would be arguing in parliament that they are still needed. He noted that support for troop deployments in Iraq from voters in Britain and the United States is waning, telling the paper: "If you take all this, of course it is very significant."
Labels: Basra, British military, Gordon Brown, Hoshyar Zibari, Iraq
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
British troops in secret talks with Sunni militants
Insurgency
(Daily Telegraph) - British military officers in Iraq have been party to secret talks with Sunni insurgent leaders there, Iraq's president said in an interview published Tuesday. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph while in London, Jalal Talabani added that Sunni rebels were shifting their perceptions to view Shiite-dominated Iran as more of a threat than foreign forces.
"There are resistance movements that are now meeting with the prime minister, with me, with British military officers and the ambassador for reconciliation talks," Talabani told the paper. "The biggest step forward would be to have the full participation of all the main groups in Iraq ... We need national unity. We must convince the Sunni Arabs they are a real partner."
Talabani reiterated comments made at Cambridge University last week when he said coalition troops would have to stay in Iraq until the end of next year, at which point they would be able to leave. He also said Sunni insurgents felt more threatened by Iran than by coalition troops. "There is a big change in the mentality of the Sunni Arab," he said. "They are now considering Iran is the danger and no longer considering America the danger."
Talabani also linked Iran's battles against internal dissent with attacks against British forces in southern Iraq.
"When there are some attacks (in Iran) they think it is British-backed activities, so they (the Iranians) do some limited things in Basra," he said.
"There are resistance movements that are now meeting with the prime minister, with me, with British military officers and the ambassador for reconciliation talks," Talabani told the paper. "The biggest step forward would be to have the full participation of all the main groups in Iraq ... We need national unity. We must convince the Sunni Arabs they are a real partner."
Talabani reiterated comments made at Cambridge University last week when he said coalition troops would have to stay in Iraq until the end of next year, at which point they would be able to leave. He also said Sunni insurgents felt more threatened by Iran than by coalition troops. "There is a big change in the mentality of the Sunni Arab," he said. "They are now considering Iran is the danger and no longer considering America the danger."
Talabani also linked Iran's battles against internal dissent with attacks against British forces in southern Iraq.
"When there are some attacks (in Iran) they think it is British-backed activities, so they (the Iranians) do some limited things in Basra," he said.
Labels: British military, Jalal Talabani, Sunni insurgents
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
British base turned over to Iraqi Army
Security
(AP) - The Shaibah logistics base, once the main center of British military operations in Iraq, was turned over to the Iraqi national army on Tuesday for use as a training base. The brief ceremony by British and Iraqi forces was the latest example of the coalition's efforts to give Iraqi forces control over some parts of Iraq as British forces plan to begin withdrawing from southern Iraq where most of them are based. Two other British bases - al-Saie and Shatt al-Arab - were turned over to Iraqi forces in Basra, Iraq's second largest city, in the last month.
The bulk of British soldiers in the city will now operate from a British base at Basra's main airport. After Tuesday's ceremony, during which British and Danish flags were lowered at Shaibah and an Iraqi one raised, Maj. David Gell, the British military spokesman in Basra, said: "It was a significant event marking the increasing capability of the Iraqi security forces. Closing these British bases enables us to focus on more productive operations designed to disrupt rogue militia activity, with less of our manpower tied down on base security and administrative tasks," he said in an interview.
Last week, Iraqi troops also took charge of security in the southern province of Maysan, a region that borders Iran. It was the fourth province to come under full Iraqi security control since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the others being the southern provinces of Dhi Qar, Muthanna and Najaf. Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie has said three Kurdish provinces in northern Iraq would follow next month, and then the southern provinces Karbala and Wassit.
Some British troops are still based in Maysan and are expected to continue training Iraqi security forces and patrolling Maysan's borders. British forces also will remain on call, if Iraqi officials decide they are need to support Iraqi security forces during fighting.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that Britain will withdraw about 1,600 troops from Iraq in the next few months, and plans to make more cuts to Britain's 7,100-strong contingent by late summer. A British handover of security control in Basra is anticipated in months, but British forces have lately suffered their heaviest losses for more than two years in an intensifying battle against Shia militias in southern cities such as Basra.
The bulk of British soldiers in the city will now operate from a British base at Basra's main airport. After Tuesday's ceremony, during which British and Danish flags were lowered at Shaibah and an Iraqi one raised, Maj. David Gell, the British military spokesman in Basra, said: "It was a significant event marking the increasing capability of the Iraqi security forces. Closing these British bases enables us to focus on more productive operations designed to disrupt rogue militia activity, with less of our manpower tied down on base security and administrative tasks," he said in an interview.
Last week, Iraqi troops also took charge of security in the southern province of Maysan, a region that borders Iran. It was the fourth province to come under full Iraqi security control since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, the others being the southern provinces of Dhi Qar, Muthanna and Najaf. Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie has said three Kurdish provinces in northern Iraq would follow next month, and then the southern provinces Karbala and Wassit.
Some British troops are still based in Maysan and are expected to continue training Iraqi security forces and patrolling Maysan's borders. British forces also will remain on call, if Iraqi officials decide they are need to support Iraqi security forces during fighting.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that Britain will withdraw about 1,600 troops from Iraq in the next few months, and plans to make more cuts to Britain's 7,100-strong contingent by late summer. A British handover of security control in Basra is anticipated in months, but British forces have lately suffered their heaviest losses for more than two years in an intensifying battle against Shia militias in southern cities such as Basra.
Labels: British military, Denmark, Iraqi Army, Maj. David Gell, Shaibah logistics base
