Thursday, August 30, 2007
Death squad leader named in abduction of Brits
Security
(The Times) - Iraq’s most infamous Shia death squad commander was accused yesterday of masterminding the kidnapping of five British citizens who have not been heard from since their abduction in Baghdad three months ago. Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq’s Foreign Minister, told The Times that a group led by Abu Dera, a legendary figure with strong Iranian connections who is renowned for his brutality, was behind the abduction of the five Britons from the Iraqi Finance Ministry on May 29.
Mr Zebari said there was a striking similiarity between their abduction and that of Iraq’s Deputy Oil Minister by Abu Dera’s supporters on August 14. In both instances well-organised forces broke into heavily protected compounds.
The minister and five colleagues were seized by gunmen dressed in security force uniforms who forced their way into the offices of Iraq’s crude oil marketing agency. The Britons were seized by armed men dressed as Iraqi policemen who broke into the Finance Ministry. “I believe the same group who did this did the Ministry of Finance [raid],” Mr Zebari said in an interview in which he also cautioned of “catastrophic consequences” if
Mr Zebari said there was a striking similiarity between their abduction and that of Iraq’s Deputy Oil Minister by Abu Dera’s supporters on August 14. In both instances well-organised forces broke into heavily protected compounds.
The minister and five colleagues were seized by gunmen dressed in security force uniforms who forced their way into the offices of Iraq’s crude oil marketing agency. The Britons were seized by armed men dressed as Iraqi policemen who broke into the Finance Ministry. “I believe the same group who did this did the Ministry of Finance [raid],” Mr Zebari said in an interview in which he also cautioned of “catastrophic consequences” if
Abdel Jabber al-Wagaa, the Deputy Oil Minister, and his colleagues were released unharmed on Tuesday after what Mr Zebari described as “tough” negotiations with the kidnappers.
These talks enabled the Iraqi authorities to establish who the kidnappers were. However, Mr Zebari said he was unaware of any contact with the kidnappers of the Britons – a computer consultant and four security guards – and could not say for certain that they were still alive. “People say that since there’s not been any announcements or videos they may have been killed, but I really don’t know,” he said.
Britain has consistently refused to discuss its efforts to rescue the hostages, or even to name them, and an embassy spokeswoman in Baghdad declined to comment on Abu Dera’s alleged involvement yesterday. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in contact with the families of the five hostages and has advised them all not to speak publicly.
The al-Mahdi Army is said to have splintered in recent months, with breakaway factions backed by Iran being blamed for some of the worst violence. Abu Dera is believed to lead one of those. He is an elusive figure who is spoken of with awe in the Shia slums of Sadr City, where he was raised.
After the US invasion of 2003 he is thought to have been a leading member of the al-Mahdi Army and to have led attacks on American troops. And when Sunni extremists bombed the Shia shrine in Samarra in 2006 he is said to have led the Shia death squads that killed thousands of innocent Sunnis in revenge. Locals say the Iraqi police allowed him free passage.
Stories of his barbarity are legion. A profile published by the Jamestown Foundation reports that he once commandeered several ambulances, drove them into a Sunni neighbourhood and announced on loudspeakers that Shias were slaughtering Sunnis. The young Sunnis who rushed to help were killed.
He allegedly offers his victims the choice of being executed through suffocation, shooting or being smashed to death with cinder blocks. There is a video recording of a man believed to be Abu Dera kidnapping Saddam Hussein’s lawyer Khamis al-Obeidi, parading him through the streets of Sadr City, and then shooting him three times in the head.
Abu Dera, whose real name is Ismail al-Zerjawi, is thought to be in his late thirties, married with two sons. His daring raids into Sunni communities have made him a hero to many poor young Shias. To others he is known as the “Shiite Zarqawi” – a reference to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader in al-Qaeda in Iraq who exhorted Sunnis to kill Shias.
Britain has consistently refused to discuss its efforts to rescue the hostages, or even to name them, and an embassy spokeswoman in Baghdad declined to comment on Abu Dera’s alleged involvement yesterday. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in contact with the families of the five hostages and has advised them all not to speak publicly.
The al-Mahdi Army is said to have splintered in recent months, with breakaway factions backed by Iran being blamed for some of the worst violence. Abu Dera is believed to lead one of those. He is an elusive figure who is spoken of with awe in the Shia slums of Sadr City, where he was raised.
After the US invasion of 2003 he is thought to have been a leading member of the al-Mahdi Army and to have led attacks on American troops. And when Sunni extremists bombed the Shia shrine in Samarra in 2006 he is said to have led the Shia death squads that killed thousands of innocent Sunnis in revenge. Locals say the Iraqi police allowed him free passage.
Stories of his barbarity are legion. A profile published by the Jamestown Foundation reports that he once commandeered several ambulances, drove them into a Sunni neighbourhood and announced on loudspeakers that Shias were slaughtering Sunnis. The young Sunnis who rushed to help were killed.
He allegedly offers his victims the choice of being executed through suffocation, shooting or being smashed to death with cinder blocks. There is a video recording of a man believed to be Abu Dera kidnapping Saddam Hussein’s lawyer Khamis al-Obeidi, parading him through the streets of Sadr City, and then shooting him three times in the head.
Abu Dera, whose real name is Ismail al-Zerjawi, is thought to be in his late thirties, married with two sons. His daring raids into Sunni communities have made him a hero to many poor young Shias. To others he is known as the “Shiite Zarqawi” – a reference to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader in al-Qaeda in Iraq who exhorted Sunnis to kill Shias.
Labels: Abdel Jabber al-Wagaa, Abu Dera, British hostages, Finance Ministry, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Iran, Ismail al-Zerjawi, Mahdi Army, Shiite Zarqawi
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Iraq rejects Pakistan's offer of Muslim peacekeeping force
Region, Security
(Dawn) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Wednesday rejected a Pakistani proposal for a Muslim peacekeeping force, saying more foreign troops were not welcome in Iraq. Opening a meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference on Tuesday, Pakistani President Gen Pervez Musharraf had raised the idea of a peacekeeping force for Iraq drawn from Muslim nations.
Asked by reporters about the idea on Wednesday, Mr Zebari said the idea had been raised and knocked down before. “My government’s position is not for welcoming any more troops. We want our troops, the Iraqi troops, to rise up and stand, let’s say to stabilise the situation,” Mr Zebari said. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the ongoing meeting is likely to adopt a resolution supporting Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear technology. The three-day foreign ministers’ meeting of the OIC began deliberations on Tuesday.
Labels: Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Musharraf, Muslim peacekeeping force, Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Pakistan
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Iraqi foreign minister leaves for Tehran to persuade Iranians to participate in Sharm el-Sheikh conference
Politics, Iran
(VOI) – Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari on Wednesday left Baghdad heading for Tehran to urge Iranians participate in the ministerial meeting on Iraq scheduled in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt, in early May, the foreign ministry said. "Zibari left Baghdad to Tehran where he is expected to meet the Iranian president and foreign minister on the participation of Iran in the upcoming international conference on Iraq in early May," the ministry said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The statement added "Zibari will also visit Turkey as soon as he would wrap up his visit to Iran to acquaint his Turkish counterpart on Sharm al-Sheikh conference on Iraq." The Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh will host the international conference on Iraq from May 4-5.
Labels: Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Iran, Sharm el-Sheikh, Turkey
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Zebari tells Arab Summit not to interfere with Iraqi constitution
Politics, Region
(AFP) - Iraq’s government does not need an order from the Arab summit on how to amend its constitution and boost national reconciliation, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said yesterday. “Amendment of the constitution is an obligation written in the text of the constitution, and we are determined to do it without waiting to be told,” Zebari told AFP.
Arab foreign ministers meeting ahead of the summit here agreed Monday to call for an amendment of Iraq’s constitution to give Sunni Arabs a greater share of power in the war-ravaged country and prevent its breakup. The call came in a draft resolution to be submitted to Arab heads of state starting their annual summit today.
“We have obligations toward our people and we know them. We don’t need a diktat from Arab countries. We tell them (Arab states) that the idea of national reconciliation is ours, not yours,” Zebari said. The Iraqi government has initiated moves to review the de-Baathification law, he added. The Arab foreign ministers also called Monday for “reviewing the de-Baathification law in order to enhance the national reconciliation process in Iraq,” according to one minister.
What Iraq does need from fellow Arab states is their help in “fighting terrorism and controlling the borders to stop arms crossing” into the country, said Zebari. Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani sent to the Cabinet on Monday a new de-Baathification law aimed at promoting national reconciliation, the premier’s office said.
Arab foreign ministers meeting ahead of the summit here agreed Monday to call for an amendment of Iraq’s constitution to give Sunni Arabs a greater share of power in the war-ravaged country and prevent its breakup. The call came in a draft resolution to be submitted to Arab heads of state starting their annual summit today.
“We have obligations toward our people and we know them. We don’t need a diktat from Arab countries. We tell them (Arab states) that the idea of national reconciliation is ours, not yours,” Zebari said. The Iraqi government has initiated moves to review the de-Baathification law, he added. The Arab foreign ministers also called Monday for “reviewing the de-Baathification law in order to enhance the national reconciliation process in Iraq,” according to one minister.
What Iraq does need from fellow Arab states is their help in “fighting terrorism and controlling the borders to stop arms crossing” into the country, said Zebari. Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani sent to the Cabinet on Monday a new de-Baathification law aimed at promoting national reconciliation, the premier’s office said.
Labels: 19th Arab Summit, constitution, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Iran - U.K. navy personnel being treated 'humanely'
Iran, Security, Politics, U.K.
(AP) - Iran said Tuesday the 15 British sailors and marines it detained last week are healthy, have been treated in a humane manner and that the only female sailor among them had been given privacy. Hosseini would not say where the Britons were being kept and reiterated that their case is under investigation.
Iran has said it is questioning the British sailors and marines to determine if their alleged entry into Iranian waters was "intentional or unintentional" before deciding what to do with them, the first sign it could be seeking a way out of the standoff. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday he hopes diplomacy will win their release but is prepared to move to a "different phase" if not.
Asked what that meant, Blair replied: "Well, we will just have to see, but what they should understand is that we cannot have a situation where our servicemen and women are seized when actually they are in Iraqi waters under a U.N. mandate."
With the precise Iran, Iraq border line in the Shatt al-Arab in dispute, the fate of the 15 Britons may depend on Iran's interpretation of their intent and whether they strayed across the frontier by accident. On Saturday, Iran's military chief, Gen. Ali Reza Afshar had said the 15 confessed to "aggression into the Islamic Republic of Iran's waters." But Deputy Foreign Minister Mehzi Mostafavi took a softer line Monday. "It should become clear whether their entry was intentional or unintentional. After that is clarified, the necessary decision will be made," Mostafavi said.
Iran has refused to allow British officials to speak with the service members. But the official Iranian news agency said Iranian officials have told the British that their diplomats can see the 15 after the investigation is concluded.
There were fears in Britain that the fate of the 15 could get caught up in the political tensions between Tehran and the West, including the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and accusations of Iranian help to Shiite militants in Iraq. In particular, there were worries Iran might seek to use the prisoners as leverage in trying to get the U.S. to free at least five Iranians detained in Iraq for allegedly being part of a Revolutionary Guard force. Mostafavi denied Iran was seeking a trade, but there were calls from elsewhere within Iran's leadership for the government to hold out for a swap.
Some members of the Iranian public also called for the British sailors and marines to be held and tried. Hundreds of Iranian students demonstrated near the coast to urge a tough stand. Calls for the release of the Britons also came from the European Union, Iraq and the United States, under whose command the military search team was serving. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the personnel were seized in Iraqi waters and should be released.
Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Baghdad there was no connection between the capture and other disputes.
Iran has said it is questioning the British sailors and marines to determine if their alleged entry into Iranian waters was "intentional or unintentional" before deciding what to do with them, the first sign it could be seeking a way out of the standoff. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday he hopes diplomacy will win their release but is prepared to move to a "different phase" if not.
Asked what that meant, Blair replied: "Well, we will just have to see, but what they should understand is that we cannot have a situation where our servicemen and women are seized when actually they are in Iraqi waters under a U.N. mandate."
With the precise Iran, Iraq border line in the Shatt al-Arab in dispute, the fate of the 15 Britons may depend on Iran's interpretation of their intent and whether they strayed across the frontier by accident. On Saturday, Iran's military chief, Gen. Ali Reza Afshar had said the 15 confessed to "aggression into the Islamic Republic of Iran's waters." But Deputy Foreign Minister Mehzi Mostafavi took a softer line Monday. "It should become clear whether their entry was intentional or unintentional. After that is clarified, the necessary decision will be made," Mostafavi said.
Iran has refused to allow British officials to speak with the service members. But the official Iranian news agency said Iranian officials have told the British that their diplomats can see the 15 after the investigation is concluded.
There were fears in Britain that the fate of the 15 could get caught up in the political tensions between Tehran and the West, including the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and accusations of Iranian help to Shiite militants in Iraq. In particular, there were worries Iran might seek to use the prisoners as leverage in trying to get the U.S. to free at least five Iranians detained in Iraq for allegedly being part of a Revolutionary Guard force. Mostafavi denied Iran was seeking a trade, but there were calls from elsewhere within Iran's leadership for the government to hold out for a swap.
Some members of the Iranian public also called for the British sailors and marines to be held and tried. Hundreds of Iranian students demonstrated near the coast to urge a tough stand. Calls for the release of the Britons also came from the European Union, Iraq and the United States, under whose command the military search team was serving. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the personnel were seized in Iraqi waters and should be released.
Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Baghdad there was no connection between the capture and other disputes.
Labels: Blair, British navy, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran, Mehzi Mostafavi, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, Shatt al-Arab
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Al-Hashimi to visit Ahmadinejad
Politics, Region
(CNN) Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi will meet Monday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, according to al-Hashimi's office. It is al-Hashimi's first visit to Iran. He is the head of the Iraqi Islamic Party, part of the Iraqi parliament's largest Sunni Arab political bloc. He is one of two vice presidents in Iraq. Iran, like Iraq, is majority Shiite Muslim. On Sunday, al-Hashimi met with his Iranian counterpart, Parviz Davoudi.
According to Iran's state-run news agency, IRNA, Davoudi expressed his country's support for a stable and strong Iraq to the visiting delegation. The report said the Iraqi vice president also had positive words about Tehran's role in Iraq. "Al-Hashimi, for his part, expressed gratitude to the Iranian government and nation for going the 'extra mile' to help solve Iraq's problems and for their concern for the people at this time of crisis," according to the IRNA report.
Al-Hashimi arrived in Tehran on Sunday, a day after Iraq hosted a Baghdad security conference attended by Iran and other neighboring countries as well as representatives from the United Nations and United States. Iran's role in Iraq has been criticized by the United States, which says the regime in Tehran has not done enough to stop the flow of weapons into Iraq. The U.S. military says it has evidence those weapons are ending up in the hands of Shiite insurgent groups.
On Sunday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told CNN that he was misquoted by IRNA, which reported that he praised Iran's "constructive" role in Iraq. While acknowledging that Iran has a role in Iraq's future, Zebari said, "The message I gave them yesterday [Saturday] is not to turn Iraq into a battlefield for settling scores with the United States or any other countries at our cost." He said he confronted the Iranian delegates during bilateral meetings at Saturday's conference about "intelligence that weapons, people, some support is coming across the border from the Iranian side."
According to Iran's state-run news agency, IRNA, Davoudi expressed his country's support for a stable and strong Iraq to the visiting delegation. The report said the Iraqi vice president also had positive words about Tehran's role in Iraq. "Al-Hashimi, for his part, expressed gratitude to the Iranian government and nation for going the 'extra mile' to help solve Iraq's problems and for their concern for the people at this time of crisis," according to the IRNA report.
Al-Hashimi arrived in Tehran on Sunday, a day after Iraq hosted a Baghdad security conference attended by Iran and other neighboring countries as well as representatives from the United Nations and United States. Iran's role in Iraq has been criticized by the United States, which says the regime in Tehran has not done enough to stop the flow of weapons into Iraq. The U.S. military says it has evidence those weapons are ending up in the hands of Shiite insurgent groups.
On Sunday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told CNN that he was misquoted by IRNA, which reported that he praised Iran's "constructive" role in Iraq. While acknowledging that Iran has a role in Iraq's future, Zebari said, "The message I gave them yesterday [Saturday] is not to turn Iraq into a battlefield for settling scores with the United States or any other countries at our cost." He said he confronted the Iranian delegates during bilateral meetings at Saturday's conference about "intelligence that weapons, people, some support is coming across the border from the Iranian side."
Labels: Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Iran, Iraqi Islamic Party, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Parviz Davoudi, Tariq al-Hashimi
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Iranian, Syrian envoys likely to join in Baghdad security talks
Region, Politics, Security
(AP) Envoys from the West and Islamic nations - including Iran, Syria and the United States - are expected to attend a conference next month on efforts to stabilize Iraq, a diplomatic adviser said Tuesday. The meeting, planned for mid-March in the Iraqi capital, is an attempt by the U.S.-backed government to seek greater regional assistance in fighting insurgents and addressing tensions between Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims and Sunnis.
Some nations had expressed reservations about taking part in the conference because of security worries and political sensitivities. Some of Iraq's Sunni neighbors are wary about being seen as lending too much support to the Shiite-led government. But Labed Abbawi, an adviser to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, said "there has been positive responses" from nearly all the nations and groups invited, which include Iraq's neighbors, the Arab League and the five permanent U.N. Security Council members. "We believe all will attend," he said. No date has been set.
Some nations had expressed reservations about taking part in the conference because of security worries and political sensitivities. Some of Iraq's Sunni neighbors are wary about being seen as lending too much support to the Shiite-led government. But Labed Abbawi, an adviser to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, said "there has been positive responses" from nearly all the nations and groups invited, which include Iraq's neighbors, the Arab League and the five permanent U.N. Security Council members. "We believe all will attend," he said. No date has been set.
Labels: Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Iran, security talks, Syria, U.S.
