Friday, July 13, 2007
Al Hakim calls for Sunnis to support Maliki
Politics
(Gulf News) - The leader of Iraq's largest Shiite political party said he will stand by Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki and urged Sunnis not to abandon the political process, promising serious efforts to solve any problem angering them. Abdul Aziz Al Hakim's written comments were received by the Associated Press yesterday in response to questions sent to him last week. The leader of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq is in Iran for cancer treatment. Al Maliki's coalition has been weakened by a Sunni boycott and wrangling over political benchmarks that the United States is pushing the Prime Minister to pass.
Labels: Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, Nouri Al-Maliki, SICI, Sunnis
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Mahdi Army Commander Killed In Basrah, al-Sadr pledges to protect Sunnis, Christians
Politics, Security
(Asharq Al Awsat Newspaper AR.) - 26 MAY - IP sources announced that the Mahdi Army leader in Basrah has been killed by a joint Iraqi-British operation in northern Basrah. British Army spokesman, Major David Gale, told the French Press Agency, “A special Iraqi unit supported by 100 British soldiers, killed the Basrah Mahdi Army leader.” A Mahdi Army source in Najaf said, “The British forces raided the Hayaniya area in northern Basrah and surrounded the vehicle of Usama Abu Qadr, the Basrah Mahdi Army leader, and killed him. They also wounded the four people with him.” The source also confirmed that Abu Qadr is one of the Mahdi Army’s founders in Basrah. Muqtada Al Sadr had decided to dismiss him because of the clashes that took place between Mahdi Army and Fadhila Party. An IP source said that two other people were killed with Abu Qadr during the clashes with the British. Eyewitnesses said that Mahdi Army members deployed throughout Basrah’s streets after Abu Qadr’s death.
COMMENT: This is likely to exacerbate the factional violence and attacks on the coalition in Basrah. COMMENT ENDS.
On Friday in Kufa the same newspaper reports that al-Sadr Al Sadr told his supporters, “I again demand that the occupiers must leave or must schedule their withdrawal. I demand that the Iraqi government not extend the occupation’s presence for even one day because the government is not authorized, especially after the collection of many Parliament members’ signatures and the one million man demonstration that both called for the occupation’s withdrawal.”
He added, “I hear from time to time that there are clashes between the Mahdi Army and Iraqi IPs and IA members (…) according to my point of view the one behind these clashes is the occupier to have an excuse for its presence. I am telling you not to be the instigator of this fighting and I am telling you fighting between the brothers in the Mahdi Army with IPs and IA members is forbidden and I advise the dear brothers in the Mahdi Army to use peaceful means if they are attacked by those with weak spirits by having peaceful protests and demonstrations.”
On the other side, Al Sadr stated, “I have received many complaints from Sunni brothers and some Christians of what has been done to them by (Sunni extremists). Therefore, I would say I am completely ready to defend them and I will be their shield to protect them although the occupier will not accept that. Our houses and our cities are ready to host them. Shedding Sunni and Iraqi Christian blood is forbidden and we are ready to defend them. What has been committed by the Sunni extremists to force Christians to convert is unacceptable.”
He also rejected the return of Baathists when he said, “The Iraqi government is working with some forces for the return of the Baathists (…) We will not allow Baathists to return and I will prevent that.” The US general in charge of their operations in Baghdad told the Washington Post, “Al Sadr has remained calm since his return from Iran.” Deputy US Commander in Iraq, General Odierno said, “It is not clear what Al Sadr has planned.” But he believes that Al Sadr is ready to conduct negotiations with the US and its Iraqi allies.
On the other side, Al Sadr stated, “I have received many complaints from Sunni brothers and some Christians of what has been done to them by (Sunni extremists). Therefore, I would say I am completely ready to defend them and I will be their shield to protect them although the occupier will not accept that. Our houses and our cities are ready to host them. Shedding Sunni and Iraqi Christian blood is forbidden and we are ready to defend them. What has been committed by the Sunni extremists to force Christians to convert is unacceptable.”
He also rejected the return of Baathists when he said, “The Iraqi government is working with some forces for the return of the Baathists (…) We will not allow Baathists to return and I will prevent that.” The US general in charge of their operations in Baghdad told the Washington Post, “Al Sadr has remained calm since his return from Iran.” Deputy US Commander in Iraq, General Odierno said, “It is not clear what Al Sadr has planned.” But he believes that Al Sadr is ready to conduct negotiations with the US and its Iraqi allies.
Labels: Baathists, Basrah, Christians, Hayaniyah district, Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno, Mahdi Army, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Sunnis, Usama Abu Qadr
Thursday, May 17, 2007
U.S. diplomatic source - Saudi threatens to support Sunnis in Iraq
Security, Region
(AHN) - An American diplomatic source has told the Egyptian daily Al Masry Al Youm that Saudi Arabia is threatening to intervene in Iraq to support Sunni allies. The unnamed source was reported as saying that once American troops leave Iraq Saudi Arabia will support the Sunni population militarily.
"Saudi Arabia has threatened direct interference in Iraq to protect Sunnis in case [coalition forces] suddenly pull out," the source said, referring to the current struggle in American politics on the date to remove troops.
Al Masry Al Youm added that the source close to the United States State Department revealed that there was a letter sent to Washington concerning this development. According to the source, American Vice-President Dick Cheney's recent Middle East tour was related to this matter, although the source did not specify the VP by name.
The story in the Egyptian daily commented on the possibility of a greater Middle Eastern war caused by the Iraq crisis. It said that a military escalation could result between Iran and Iraqi Shias vis a vis Saudi Arabia and other regional Sunni powers.
"Saudi Arabia has threatened direct interference in Iraq to protect Sunnis in case [coalition forces] suddenly pull out," the source said, referring to the current struggle in American politics on the date to remove troops.
Al Masry Al Youm added that the source close to the United States State Department revealed that there was a letter sent to Washington concerning this development. According to the source, American Vice-President Dick Cheney's recent Middle East tour was related to this matter, although the source did not specify the VP by name.
The story in the Egyptian daily commented on the possibility of a greater Middle Eastern war caused by the Iraq crisis. It said that a military escalation could result between Iran and Iraqi Shias vis a vis Saudi Arabia and other regional Sunni powers.
Labels: Iraq, Saudi Arabia, security, Sunnis
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Kurds, Sunnis express reservations on draft oil law
Oil
(Herald Tribune) - Kurdish and Sunni Arab officials expressed deep reservations on Wednesday about the draft version of a national oil law and related legislation, misgivings that could derail one of the benchmark measures of progress in Iraq laid down by President George W. Bush. The draft law, which establishes a framework for the distribution of oil revenues, was approved by the Iraqi cabinet in late February after months of negotiations.
In Iraq, the Kurds have taken issue with a new provision that was quietly packaged with the draft oil law by the Shiite-led Oil Ministry last month. The measure would essentially cede control of the management of nearly all known oil fields and related contracts to a state-run oil company to be established after passage of the law, said a spokesman for the Kurdish regional government.
The spokesman, Khalid Salih, said the provision violated a clause in the Constitution that says the central government must work with regional governments to determine management of known fields that have not been developed. The Kurds, who have enjoyed de facto independence in the north since 1991, have been arguing for maximum regional control over oil contracts. The provision is part of four so-called annexes that are to be debated with the draft oil law in Parliament. Any objection to one or more of the annexes will stall passage of the law.
"We are worried about these ideas put into the annexes," Salih said in an interview in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. "It worries us a lot." If the law and the annexes go to a vote before Parliament, a rejection by the Kurdish bloc alone, which holds 58 of 275 seats, would not doom the law. But Parliament operates by consensus, and members say it is almost certain that no law regarding oil will pass without the approval of the Kurds.
A senior Shiite Arab legislator, Sheik Jalaladin al-Saghir, said the concerns raised by the Kurds amounted to a bargaining tactic. "I think it's a maneuver," he said, adding that he believed the Kurds "will move forward to pass the law since everybody needs it."
Contributing a further layer of complication, a Sunni Arab legislator said Wednesday evening that the main Sunni Arab bloc, which has 44 legislative seats, objected to any discussion of the law in Parliament at this time. "Acceleration in presenting it is inappropriate since the security condition is not encouraging," said the legislator, Saleem Abdullah. He said Sunni Arabs were also worried that the law would give foreign companies too large a role in the country's oil industry. Sunni Arab political leaders supported cabinet approval of the draft law, but appear ambivalent now.
White House officials have said passage of the oil law is one of four major benchmarks they would like the Iraqi government to meet before fall.
The spokesman, Khalid Salih, said the provision violated a clause in the Constitution that says the central government must work with regional governments to determine management of known fields that have not been developed. The Kurds, who have enjoyed de facto independence in the north since 1991, have been arguing for maximum regional control over oil contracts. The provision is part of four so-called annexes that are to be debated with the draft oil law in Parliament. Any objection to one or more of the annexes will stall passage of the law.
"We are worried about these ideas put into the annexes," Salih said in an interview in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. "It worries us a lot." If the law and the annexes go to a vote before Parliament, a rejection by the Kurdish bloc alone, which holds 58 of 275 seats, would not doom the law. But Parliament operates by consensus, and members say it is almost certain that no law regarding oil will pass without the approval of the Kurds.
A senior Shiite Arab legislator, Sheik Jalaladin al-Saghir, said the concerns raised by the Kurds amounted to a bargaining tactic. "I think it's a maneuver," he said, adding that he believed the Kurds "will move forward to pass the law since everybody needs it."
Contributing a further layer of complication, a Sunni Arab legislator said Wednesday evening that the main Sunni Arab bloc, which has 44 legislative seats, objected to any discussion of the law in Parliament at this time. "Acceleration in presenting it is inappropriate since the security condition is not encouraging," said the legislator, Saleem Abdullah. He said Sunni Arabs were also worried that the law would give foreign companies too large a role in the country's oil industry. Sunni Arab political leaders supported cabinet approval of the draft law, but appear ambivalent now.
White House officials have said passage of the oil law is one of four major benchmarks they would like the Iraqi government to meet before fall.
Labels: draft oil law, Khalid Salih, Kurds, Sheik Jalaladin al-Saghir, Sunnis
Thursday, April 05, 2007
U.S. military in recruitment drive for Sunnis for Iraqi Army
Security
(AINA) - Hundreds of young Iraqi men stood on the street in their underwear outside a Baghdad army base. The recruiting drive, overseen by the US military, was held for the first time in the predominantly Sunni neighborhood of Adhamiyah. The idea: balance the mostly Shiite makeup of the Iraqi Army, particularly in this area. It was also seen as a way to address the charges that Sunnis are being mistreated by Iraqi security forces.
But only 20 Adhamiyah Sunni natives showed up, of whom only 10 were accepted. The remainder of the 156 who enlisted were mostly Shiites from the impoverished districts of Sadr City and Shaab. They had been tipped off about the recruiting drive by relatives and friends in the Iraqi Army's 1st Battalion of the 6th Brigade, which is based in Adhamiyah but is about 80 percent Shiite. Sunday's event underscores the challenges faced by US military trainers in attracting Sunnis to the security forces and keeping sectarianism out of one of the country's most critical institutions.
The effort to recruit Sunnis started at the crack of dawn with prospective soldiers made to line up in the base's outer perimeter and told to strip down to their underwear -- a security measure. Suicide bombers have struck before in the midst of police and Army recruiting drives. Karlo, a US Army German shepherd dog, is on hand to sniff out any potential trouble. The young men carrying their clothes in bundles are let into the base in groups of five.
The Adhamiyah municipal council had promised 1,400 eager recruits. US and Iraqi officials say they are ready to sign up 200 recruits on the spot, the only requirements being that they be between the ages of 18 and 29, weigh less than 330 pounds, be literate, have 22 teeth, and not have any vision or hearing impairments. The local council members had complained to Colonel Johnson that it was too dangerous for them as Sunnis to venture out to the main recruiting center at the Al-Muthana airport. So he decided to come to them. "The intent is to show them that they will be treated fairly," Johnson says.
Adhamiyah is a traditional stronghold for Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party. Soldiers from the US Army's 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, who were sent in August to pacify the area, continue to face fierce resistance and hostility. The unit has already lost 17 soldiers. The center of Adhamiyah resembles a battleground with "Long live the martyr Saddam" graffiti everywhere. Even the local council's head, Mudhafar Abdul Razaq, who had pushed the most for Sunnis to be enlisted in the Army and police, was murdered last month. He was the second council official to be killed in three months.
Hussein Qassim says that he heard that conscription in Adhamiyah was free so he came over. He and three friends had paid $1,200 in bribes last month at the Muthana center for slots in the Army but got nothing. Several prospective and current Iraqi soldiers confirm that the standard bribe for conscription is indeed $300. Only those hired when the US military is present seem to be exempt. The starting monthly salary for soldiers is $360.
General Kadhem says they will keep trying, but they will only succeed in hiring Sunnis when the people in the community decide to throw their lot behind the government. He notes the Iraqi Army's success in Ramadi last month. It recruited 2,500 Sunnis, thanks to the Anbar Salvation Front, a group of US-backed tribal sheikhs who are fighting Al Qaeda in the province. He says that 1,500 Anbar Sunnis are now in basic training, while the remainder of the recruits are waiting for training. The general says that currently, about 65 percent of the Iraqi Army are Shiites.
But only 20 Adhamiyah Sunni natives showed up, of whom only 10 were accepted. The remainder of the 156 who enlisted were mostly Shiites from the impoverished districts of Sadr City and Shaab. They had been tipped off about the recruiting drive by relatives and friends in the Iraqi Army's 1st Battalion of the 6th Brigade, which is based in Adhamiyah but is about 80 percent Shiite. Sunday's event underscores the challenges faced by US military trainers in attracting Sunnis to the security forces and keeping sectarianism out of one of the country's most critical institutions.
The effort to recruit Sunnis started at the crack of dawn with prospective soldiers made to line up in the base's outer perimeter and told to strip down to their underwear -- a security measure. Suicide bombers have struck before in the midst of police and Army recruiting drives. Karlo, a US Army German shepherd dog, is on hand to sniff out any potential trouble. The young men carrying their clothes in bundles are let into the base in groups of five.
The Adhamiyah municipal council had promised 1,400 eager recruits. US and Iraqi officials say they are ready to sign up 200 recruits on the spot, the only requirements being that they be between the ages of 18 and 29, weigh less than 330 pounds, be literate, have 22 teeth, and not have any vision or hearing impairments. The local council members had complained to Colonel Johnson that it was too dangerous for them as Sunnis to venture out to the main recruiting center at the Al-Muthana airport. So he decided to come to them. "The intent is to show them that they will be treated fairly," Johnson says.
Adhamiyah is a traditional stronghold for Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party. Soldiers from the US Army's 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, who were sent in August to pacify the area, continue to face fierce resistance and hostility. The unit has already lost 17 soldiers. The center of Adhamiyah resembles a battleground with "Long live the martyr Saddam" graffiti everywhere. Even the local council's head, Mudhafar Abdul Razaq, who had pushed the most for Sunnis to be enlisted in the Army and police, was murdered last month. He was the second council official to be killed in three months.
Hussein Qassim says that he heard that conscription in Adhamiyah was free so he came over. He and three friends had paid $1,200 in bribes last month at the Muthana center for slots in the Army but got nothing. Several prospective and current Iraqi soldiers confirm that the standard bribe for conscription is indeed $300. Only those hired when the US military is present seem to be exempt. The starting monthly salary for soldiers is $360.
General Kadhem says they will keep trying, but they will only succeed in hiring Sunnis when the people in the community decide to throw their lot behind the government. He notes the Iraqi Army's success in Ramadi last month. It recruited 2,500 Sunnis, thanks to the Anbar Salvation Front, a group of US-backed tribal sheikhs who are fighting Al Qaeda in the province. He says that 1,500 Anbar Sunnis are now in basic training, while the remainder of the recruits are waiting for training. The general says that currently, about 65 percent of the Iraqi Army are Shiites.
Labels: Adhamiyah, Anbar Salvation Council, bribes, Col. Carl Johnson, Iraqi Army, Mudhafar Abdul Razaq, Sunnis
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Arab leaders to call for constitution amendments in favour of Sunnis
Politics
(Gulf News) - Arab foreign ministers agreed yesterday to call for an amendment to Iraq's constitution to give Sunni Arabs a greater share of power in the war-ravaged country. "The ministers approved a call to Iraq to amend its constitution in order to boost the political process in that country," one of the ministers told AFP, requesting anonymity.
Arab states preparing for a summit in Riyadh tomorrow want to see the consitution changed to give Sunnis a greater share of political power and avoid a federal split of Iraq, the minister said. Iraq's once-ruling Sunni Arabs want an amendment of the constitution adopted in October 2005, fearing that the arrangement leaves their central regions without natural resources and Iraq's oil wealth in the hands of the governing Shiites and the autonomous Kurds. Their demand is backed by Sunni-dominated Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia which is hosting the summit.
Arab states preparing for a summit in Riyadh tomorrow want to see the consitution changed to give Sunnis a greater share of political power and avoid a federal split of Iraq, the minister said. Iraq's once-ruling Sunni Arabs want an amendment of the constitution adopted in October 2005, fearing that the arrangement leaves their central regions without natural resources and Iraq's oil wealth in the hands of the governing Shiites and the autonomous Kurds. Their demand is backed by Sunni-dominated Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia which is hosting the summit.
COMMENT: The Arab leaders know that the eyes of the world will be on Iraq tomorrow at the summit in Riyadh, so the pressure will be greater on the Iraqis. Leaders of predominantly Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai, Oman and Jordan are concerned with the influence the predominantly Shia Iran has had on the current Iraqi government and would like to see a stronger Sunni power base. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Arab leaders, Iraqi constitution, Sunnis
Monday, March 05, 2007
Sunnis turn on each other as some support reconciliation with Shias
Security
(Al Jazeera) Six Sunni men, who received death threats for meeting with local Shias, have been killed in execution-style slayings in a rising wave of sectarian violence, Iraqi police and military said. The attack on Saturday near Youssifiyah, 20 km south of the capital Baghdad, comes a day after the claimed abduction and execution of at least 14 Shias.
But in this case, Iraqi authorities said they believed that Sunni gunmen had killed fellow Sunnis revealing a rift between those who support reconciliation with Shias and those who will kill to stop it. Also on Saturday, three US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb that exploded while they were on patrol in central Baghdad, the military said.
An adviser to Iraq's defence ministry was kidnapped in western Baghdad, an aide to Adnan al-Dulaimi, the head of the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, said. Lieutenant General Thamir Sultan hails from Saddam Hussein's tribe and had been mentioned as a possible defense minister when the current government was organised last year. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information.
Earlier, the US military said it killed "key terrorists" who were using anti-aircraft artillery to fire at American military helicopters near Taji, north of Baghdad.
The Iraqi men gunned down Saturday - all relatives from the Mashhada tribe - were killed after gunmen stormed the family's house at dawn, Haider Satar, an Iraqi policeman, said. The victims in Youssifiyah were separated from women and children and shot dead in their home, Satar said. Captain Ahmed al-Obeidi, from the Iraqi army, whose unit is stationed near the site of the attack, also confirmed the incident.
The bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue in the neighbouring town of Mahmoudiyah, where Associated Press Television footage showed them wrapped in blankets and lined up on the metal floor of a refrigeration chamber. At least two had their hands tied and bound behind their backs. The motive of the brutal attack could not be independently verified. But police, citing information from surviving relatives, said the victims had received threats from Sunni gunmen after participating in a reconciliation conference with Shias last month. The conference was held in Mahmoudiyah in late February.
But in this case, Iraqi authorities said they believed that Sunni gunmen had killed fellow Sunnis revealing a rift between those who support reconciliation with Shias and those who will kill to stop it. Also on Saturday, three US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb that exploded while they were on patrol in central Baghdad, the military said.
An adviser to Iraq's defence ministry was kidnapped in western Baghdad, an aide to Adnan al-Dulaimi, the head of the largest Sunni bloc in parliament, said. Lieutenant General Thamir Sultan hails from Saddam Hussein's tribe and had been mentioned as a possible defense minister when the current government was organised last year. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release the information.
Earlier, the US military said it killed "key terrorists" who were using anti-aircraft artillery to fire at American military helicopters near Taji, north of Baghdad.
The Iraqi men gunned down Saturday - all relatives from the Mashhada tribe - were killed after gunmen stormed the family's house at dawn, Haider Satar, an Iraqi policeman, said. The victims in Youssifiyah were separated from women and children and shot dead in their home, Satar said. Captain Ahmed al-Obeidi, from the Iraqi army, whose unit is stationed near the site of the attack, also confirmed the incident.
The bodies were transferred to a hospital morgue in the neighbouring town of Mahmoudiyah, where Associated Press Television footage showed them wrapped in blankets and lined up on the metal floor of a refrigeration chamber. At least two had their hands tied and bound behind their backs. The motive of the brutal attack could not be independently verified. But police, citing information from surviving relatives, said the victims had received threats from Sunni gunmen after participating in a reconciliation conference with Shias last month. The conference was held in Mahmoudiyah in late February.
Labels: execution, Lieutenant General Thamir Sultan, Mashhada tribe, reconciliation, Shias, Sunnis, Youssifiyah
