Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Halabja victims' families to get $784 recompensation
Kurdistan, Politics
(Al-Iraqiyah) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki addressed a range of issues at a March 16 press briefing at Baghdad International Airport after an attempted trip to Kurdistan, Al-Iraqiyah television reported. His plane was unable to land in Al-Sulaymaniyah due to bad weather. Al-Maliki said he intended to give a grant of about 1 million dinars (about $784) to each Iraqi family who lost a loved one in the Halabjah massacre in 1988.
The town will also get its share of reconstruction funds in the future, he said. Al-Maliki also said that the western, largely Sunni Al-Anbar Governorate, which he visited last week, is no longer a safe haven for terrorism. "Thanks to the courage of the people of Al-Anbar, the tribes and politicians...the security situation there stabilized," al-Maliki said.
Prime Minister al-Maliki told reporters on March 16 that talks are ongoing among political parties to reshuffle the cabinet. "Names are proposed and deliberations are continuing. When we talk about change, we seek to look for the best that can provide the desired and required service in this or that ministry. That is why we are a bit late. Time drags on because we are looking for the best," he said. "When we get the names of the ministers nominated by their lists and blocs, we will immediately go to parliament."
Labels: Al Anbar, al-Maliki, cabinet reshuffle, Halabja, Kurdistan, recompensation
Monday, March 19, 2007
Al-Maliki says sectarian killing 'has come to an end'
Security, Politics
(AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki insisted sectarian killing had come to an end in his country, blaming ongoing daily violence on Al-Qaeda in a television interview Monday. "I would say that the sectarian killing is over," Maliki said, in comments to be broadcast Monday on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the United States-led and British-backed invasion of Iraq. "It threatened the breakout of a sectarian war, but this has been ended by two factors -- the first one is the national reconciliation on which we still insist.
"The second thing is the ability of the security services in arresting those who are provoking the sectarian unrest," he told ITV television, according to extracts released in advance of the broadcast. He added that Al-Qaeda posed the "biggest threat" to Iraq and the Middle East. "This situation will continue but the continuation of the increasing effort of this operation will deplete all the efforts of Al-Qaeda," he said. "We have accurate intelligence information that Al-Qaeda and the remains of the former regime are being scattered and chased and losing the secure conditions under which they used to operate.
"There are still some incidents but in comparison to what it used to be like, it is nothing in comparison to what used to happen before." Al-Qaeda operatives with "sick minds" were targeting both Sunni and Shia areas, he said. "Al-Qaeda is still the biggest threat for Iraq and the region," he said. And he added: "Everyone agrees on this. It is not a threat towards only one part of the population. "They are carrying out killings and crimes in Sunni areas in the same way they target Shia areas...they have sick minds. They believe that anyone who works for the government deserves to be killed." But Maliki said that most Iraqis were "happy and delighted" because "this mysterious sectarian killing and kidnapping is over in their neighbourhoods".
"The second thing is the ability of the security services in arresting those who are provoking the sectarian unrest," he told ITV television, according to extracts released in advance of the broadcast. He added that Al-Qaeda posed the "biggest threat" to Iraq and the Middle East. "This situation will continue but the continuation of the increasing effort of this operation will deplete all the efforts of Al-Qaeda," he said. "We have accurate intelligence information that Al-Qaeda and the remains of the former regime are being scattered and chased and losing the secure conditions under which they used to operate.
"There are still some incidents but in comparison to what it used to be like, it is nothing in comparison to what used to happen before." Al-Qaeda operatives with "sick minds" were targeting both Sunni and Shia areas, he said. "Al-Qaeda is still the biggest threat for Iraq and the region," he said. And he added: "Everyone agrees on this. It is not a threat towards only one part of the population. "They are carrying out killings and crimes in Sunni areas in the same way they target Shia areas...they have sick minds. They believe that anyone who works for the government deserves to be killed." But Maliki said that most Iraqis were "happy and delighted" because "this mysterious sectarian killing and kidnapping is over in their neighbourhoods".
COMMENT: Al-Maliki is trying to persuade the public, the U.S. and other members in his government that the sectarian violence is coming under control thanks to measures he has taken. Whereas sectarian deaths and death squad activity is down, it is still going on. The Ministry of Interior releases figures on mutilated bodies found, as do the morgues. However, one of the aims of the insurgents is to trigger sectarian warfare through their mass casualty attacks targeting mainly Shias. That said, the likelihood of anyone agreeing with al-Maliki's statement is unlikely. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Al Qaeda in Iraq, al-Maliki, sectarian assassinations
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Australia to stay in Iraq for 'as long as it takes'
Security, International
(AP) - Australia's prime minister declined Saturday to commit to a timeline for withdrawing his country's forces from Iraq, but insisted that steady progress was being made. John Howard spoke to reporters in Baghdad, where he arrived after his plane made an emergency landing in southeastern Iraq because it had filled with smoke after takeoff from an airbase there, according to the Australian Associated Press.
Howard, a staunch U.S. ally who was making his first trip to Iraq, has been under increasing political pressure to set an exit strategy for Australia's 1,400 troops from Iraq. Opinion polls show the Iraq conflict is deeply unpopular among Australians. "Great progress has been achieved, but there is still work to be done," Howard said during a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "As you know, I don't set speculative dates. There is nothing to be achieved by that."
Al-Maliki said Australian help has been successful in helping to fight the Sunni insurgency in southern Baghdad, but stressed the dangers in calling the mission a success prematurely. "The mission is still ongoing. We have a desire for Australia to remain and to continue its support until we are completely confident that all terrorist activities cease," al-Maliki said.
Howard, a staunch U.S. ally who was making his first trip to Iraq, has been under increasing political pressure to set an exit strategy for Australia's 1,400 troops from Iraq. Opinion polls show the Iraq conflict is deeply unpopular among Australians. "Great progress has been achieved, but there is still work to be done," Howard said during a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "As you know, I don't set speculative dates. There is nothing to be achieved by that."
Al-Maliki said Australian help has been successful in helping to fight the Sunni insurgency in southern Baghdad, but stressed the dangers in calling the mission a success prematurely. "The mission is still ongoing. We have a desire for Australia to remain and to continue its support until we are completely confident that all terrorist activities cease," al-Maliki said.
Labels: al-Maliki, Australia, John Howard, troops
Friday, March 16, 2007
Iraqi general in charge of Baghdad security plan fired
Politics, Security
(Azzaman) The Iraqi general who commanded the joint U.S.-Iraqi military operation to subdue Baghdad has been fired. Lt. General Abdoud Qanbar Hashem was forced to retire at a lower rank. His name was included in a list of 1,189 former army officers who were put on pension.
General Qanbar was a senior officer in the former army under former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. But Prime Minister Nouri Maliki first employed him as head of his office and then promoted him to the rank of Lt. General to lead the troops deployed to impose law and order in Baghdad.
There were reports that U.S. commanders were not pleased with Qanbar at the head of the operation. It is not clear whether the decision to put Qanbar on pension has anything to do with the pace of progress in the operation. The operation is still on but it seems it has so far made little success. The decision to place Qanbar on pension was signed by the head of the prime minister’s office, which means that it had the blessing of Maliki himself.
General Qanbar was a senior officer in the former army under former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. But Prime Minister Nouri Maliki first employed him as head of his office and then promoted him to the rank of Lt. General to lead the troops deployed to impose law and order in Baghdad.
There were reports that U.S. commanders were not pleased with Qanbar at the head of the operation. It is not clear whether the decision to put Qanbar on pension has anything to do with the pace of progress in the operation. The operation is still on but it seems it has so far made little success. The decision to place Qanbar on pension was signed by the head of the prime minister’s office, which means that it had the blessing of Maliki himself.
Labels: al-Maliki, Lt. General Abdoud Qanbar Hashem, Operation Fardh al-Qanoon
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
During Saudi visit, Allawi criticises Iraqi government
Politics
(Asharq al-Awsat) Dr. Iyad Allawi, former Iraqi Prime Minister and leader of Al-Iraqiyah National List, arrived in Riyadh yesterday a day after the arrival of Masud Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdistan region, where he was received by King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz and held talks with him which dealt with the latest developments in the Iraqi situation.
Allawi called Nuri al-Maliki's Government the offspring of the sectarian and ethnic situation in Iraq and has several terms of reference and therefore is incapable of achieving national unity. He called on the Iraqi government to abandon its sectarian stands and sectarian quotas and to be the government for all Iraqis and for Al-Maliki to be the Prime Minister of a government for all Iraqis and not for a certain community or political party in that community.
In an interview with Asharq al-Awsat conducted with him during his visit to Kuwait, where he was accompanied by a delegation from Al-Iraqiyah List, Allawi said, "This government does not represent me as a Shiite nor the Shiites in Iraq as much as it represents the politicized Shiites. We warned before and continue to warn that political sectarianism will impede and thwart the government's work as it will impede and thwart the unity of Iraqi society."
Allawi called Nuri al-Maliki's Government the offspring of the sectarian and ethnic situation in Iraq and has several terms of reference and therefore is incapable of achieving national unity. He called on the Iraqi government to abandon its sectarian stands and sectarian quotas and to be the government for all Iraqis and for Al-Maliki to be the Prime Minister of a government for all Iraqis and not for a certain community or political party in that community.
In an interview with Asharq al-Awsat conducted with him during his visit to Kuwait, where he was accompanied by a delegation from Al-Iraqiyah List, Allawi said, "This government does not represent me as a Shiite nor the Shiites in Iraq as much as it represents the politicized Shiites. We warned before and continue to warn that political sectarianism will impede and thwart the government's work as it will impede and thwart the unity of Iraqi society."
He asserted that the "the Kurdish-Sunni-Shiite division is the most dangerous thing facing Iraq and is lethal to it." He proposed the alternative of the "Iraqi national approach that believes in pluralism and the diversity of Iraqi society and gives the rights voluntarily to all the people's sectors without sectarian or factional tyranny."
Allawi disclosed that he discussed this matter with Al-Maliki several times and presented a memorandum for enabling the government to emerge from this crisis made up of 14 points that essentially say the government should be for all the Iraqis so that there would be a ray of hope that situations in Iraq would improve; otherwise Iraq would proceed along a dangerous route if the division, estrangement, and frustration remained."
Allawi disclosed that he discussed this matter with Al-Maliki several times and presented a memorandum for enabling the government to emerge from this crisis made up of 14 points that essentially say the government should be for all the Iraqis so that there would be a ray of hope that situations in Iraq would improve; otherwise Iraq would proceed along a dangerous route if the division, estrangement, and frustration remained."
Labels: al-Maliki, Iraqi National Front, Iyad Allawi, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, Riyadh
Al-Maliki tells Iraqi governors to implement security plan
Security
(Al-Iraqiyah) Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a meeting of Iraqi governors in Baghdad on March 12 that security forces operating in the governorates should be on guard against terrorists who have fled Baghdad, Al-Iraqiyah television reported the same day. Al-Maliki asked the governors to cooperate "with all other executive agencies in their respective governorates in order to develop a plan similar to the Baghdad law enforcement plan so as to impose the law in these areas."
He also called on governors to make full use of their budgets in order to speed reconstruction efforts. In years past, the governorates did not spend all of the money allocated to them because of security conditions. Al-Maliki reportedly said the funds will be withdrawn by the federal government if they are not used.
Labels: al-Maliki, governors, Operation Fardh al-Qanoon
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Political obstacles hinder Iraq's development
Politics
(AP) Iraq's fragmented leadership is struggling to meet the major benchmarks that it has pledged to the United States to achieve soon, with political wrangling and a chaotic legislature standing in the way. The issue took on new urgency last week when House Democrats drafted legislation that would require President Bush to certify by July 1 and again by Oct. 1 whether the Iraqi government is making progress on security, an oil plan and constitutional amendments.
Even if the Democratic proposals never make it through Congress, pressure is mounting for the Iraqis to meet a timetable or risk losing U.S. troops and support. But the Iraqis face a host of obstacles that go to the heart of the crisis. Recent talk of changes in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government may just increase the paralysis as groups maneuver for power.
Iraq missed the Dec. 31 target dates to enact laws establishing provincial elections, regulating distribution of the country's oil wealth and reversing measures that have excluded many Sunnis from jobs and government positions because they belonged to Saddam Hussein's Baath party. The U.S. is also pushing for constitutional amendments to remove articles that the Sunnis believe discriminate in favor of the Shiites and Kurds. U.S. officials also want Iraqis to pass a bill to set new elections for provincial governments to encourage greater public participation at the grass-roots level.
The only success has been a new oil law, which al-Maliki's Cabinet endorsed Feb. 26 and sent to parliament for approval. Leaders of all main political blocs have pledged to support the bill, which lays down rules for negotiating contracts and distributing the revenues among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. But parliament has not taken up the measure yet, and the deputy speaker said the draft may have to be sent back to the Cabinet because al-Maliki's staff skipped some legal steps in endorsing it.
Likewise, the bill on provincial elections is bogged down in procedural matters. The measure is designed to address problems caused when the Sunnis boycotted the January 2005 election, in which provincial councils were chosen. That resulted in Shiites winning power in some areas with Sunni majorities. Shiite lawmakers are not eager to give up those gains.
Legislation to relax the ban on former Baath party members holding government jobs or elective office faces an even tougher road. Shiites and Kurds, who suffered the most under Saddam's Sunni-dominated regime, are reluctant to reinstate thousands of members of the party responsible. The government provides most jobs here, and the ban effectively deprives thousands of former Baath members of a livelihood. Many are Sunnis, and the U.S. believes the rules are driving Sunnis into the insurgency. The main Sunni bloc in parliament wants the rules loosened so that thousands of lower-ranking party members can get their jobs back.
Ali al-Lami, executive secretary of the government committee that screens former party members, said the factions reached a broad compromise during a meeting Feb. 28, whereby the number of Baath members under the ban would be cut by more than half. Other former party members would be offered reinstatement or retirement with pensions, he said. Al-Lami said al-Maliki had endorsed the compromise.
Even if the Democratic proposals never make it through Congress, pressure is mounting for the Iraqis to meet a timetable or risk losing U.S. troops and support. But the Iraqis face a host of obstacles that go to the heart of the crisis. Recent talk of changes in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government may just increase the paralysis as groups maneuver for power.
Iraq missed the Dec. 31 target dates to enact laws establishing provincial elections, regulating distribution of the country's oil wealth and reversing measures that have excluded many Sunnis from jobs and government positions because they belonged to Saddam Hussein's Baath party. The U.S. is also pushing for constitutional amendments to remove articles that the Sunnis believe discriminate in favor of the Shiites and Kurds. U.S. officials also want Iraqis to pass a bill to set new elections for provincial governments to encourage greater public participation at the grass-roots level.
The only success has been a new oil law, which al-Maliki's Cabinet endorsed Feb. 26 and sent to parliament for approval. Leaders of all main political blocs have pledged to support the bill, which lays down rules for negotiating contracts and distributing the revenues among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. But parliament has not taken up the measure yet, and the deputy speaker said the draft may have to be sent back to the Cabinet because al-Maliki's staff skipped some legal steps in endorsing it.
Likewise, the bill on provincial elections is bogged down in procedural matters. The measure is designed to address problems caused when the Sunnis boycotted the January 2005 election, in which provincial councils were chosen. That resulted in Shiites winning power in some areas with Sunni majorities. Shiite lawmakers are not eager to give up those gains.
Legislation to relax the ban on former Baath party members holding government jobs or elective office faces an even tougher road. Shiites and Kurds, who suffered the most under Saddam's Sunni-dominated regime, are reluctant to reinstate thousands of members of the party responsible. The government provides most jobs here, and the ban effectively deprives thousands of former Baath members of a livelihood. Many are Sunnis, and the U.S. believes the rules are driving Sunnis into the insurgency. The main Sunni bloc in parliament wants the rules loosened so that thousands of lower-ranking party members can get their jobs back.
Ali al-Lami, executive secretary of the government committee that screens former party members, said the factions reached a broad compromise during a meeting Feb. 28, whereby the number of Baath members under the ban would be cut by more than half. Other former party members would be offered reinstatement or retirement with pensions, he said. Al-Lami said al-Maliki had endorsed the compromise.
Labels: al-Maliki, Baathists, benchmarks, constitution, draft oil law, oil, provincial elections, security, U.S. support
Al-Maliki visits Ramadi as more troops arrive in Diyala
Security, Politics
(CNN) Iraq's Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki journeyed to the insurgent-wracked province of Anbar on Tuesday, to meet with Sunni tribal chiefs helping U.S. forces, said an official with the prime minister's office.
Al-Maliki's unannounced trip to Anbar's capital of Ramadi comes as U.S. commanders prepare to send some 4,000 Marines to the province, which has long been a flash point for insurgent violence. The prime minister is set to meet with citizens and government officials.
The new chief of U.S.-led forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, praised Ramadi leaders last week for their support against insurgents, including al Qaeda in Iraq. "Tribes in Ramadi have one after the other after another volunteered to join the local police and have all of a sudden become a very, very serious force for al Qaeda in Iraq to reckon with," Petraeus said. "There's really only a small portion of eastern Ramadi that is still viewed as having some extremist elements in it."
Al-Maliki's visit includes some symbolism, as the Shiite leader reaches out to tribal leaders in the Sunni-dominated region, amid months of sectarian killings in Baghdad and elsewhere. Minority Sunnis ruled under Saddam Hussein and his regime often oppressed Iraqis who belonged to the Shiite majority. Now, members of both sects share power with ethnic Kurds in Iraq's fledgling government.
Al-Maliki's unannounced trip to Anbar's capital of Ramadi comes as U.S. commanders prepare to send some 4,000 Marines to the province, which has long been a flash point for insurgent violence. The prime minister is set to meet with citizens and government officials.
The new chief of U.S.-led forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, praised Ramadi leaders last week for their support against insurgents, including al Qaeda in Iraq. "Tribes in Ramadi have one after the other after another volunteered to join the local police and have all of a sudden become a very, very serious force for al Qaeda in Iraq to reckon with," Petraeus said. "There's really only a small portion of eastern Ramadi that is still viewed as having some extremist elements in it."
Al-Maliki's visit includes some symbolism, as the Shiite leader reaches out to tribal leaders in the Sunni-dominated region, amid months of sectarian killings in Baghdad and elsewhere. Minority Sunnis ruled under Saddam Hussein and his regime often oppressed Iraqis who belonged to the Shiite majority. Now, members of both sects share power with ethnic Kurds in Iraq's fledgling government.
COMMENT: Al-Maliki is raising his profile and leading by example. He is trying to demonstrate to Iraqis that the government has the security situation enough under control for him to travel around. He also visited an area in Baghdad on Friday. He also needs to appear accommodating to the Sunnis because he is losing support in his own block as Fadhela has left the UIA and the Kurds are showing interest in Allawi's newly formed Iraqi National Front.
The local tribes are an important factor and a force to be reckoned with. People listen to them, and if they don't support the security effort, they will be supporting the insurgency as many of them have done. However, Al Qaeda in Iraq killed too many civilians for the liking of many of the tribes, who have now turned against the insurgents and bring their local knowledge and private militias to contribute to the larger national security effort. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: al-Maliki, Diyala, Ramadi, tribal leaders, troop surge
Monday, March 12, 2007
Kurds express interest in joining Allawi's Iraqi National Front
Politics
(Al Hayat) Iraqi Kurds are considering abandoning their alliance with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shia-dominated coalition and instead forming a new coalition, the Iraqi National Front (INF), led by former prime minister Iyad Allawi's Iraqi List and recently including the Shia Fadhila Party. Prominent Kurdish leader Mahmud Uthman told news agencies that the Kurds were interested "if it is confirmed that the coalition that Iyad Allawi is trying to form can bring together diverse parties capable of bringing about change in Iraq." The article also noted that there was speculation that the new coalition was being supported by the United States, as U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Allawi together visited Kurdistan recently just as Fadhila was withdrawing from the United Iraqi Alliance.
The same article also reports on a separate incident of special note regarding Iran. Kurdish authorities have declared martial law in the border area around Najwin and closed the border with Iran due to the infiltration of Iraqi territory by members of the terrorist Ansar al-Sunna Army (jaish ansar al-sunna). The article notes that members of the Kurdish border patrol have reported repeated attacks from Sunni terrorists coming from Iranian territory.
ThreatsWatch has reported on the formation of this new coaltion twice in the past two weeks. While I downplayed the significance of Fadhila's actions in these previous reports because of its limited influence outside its base in Basra, the potential addition of the Kurds is much more important. The Kurdish parties have been Maliki's only reliable non-Shia partners, and the defection of both Fadhila and the Kurds would deprive the government of its majority in parliament. This is all still somewhat speculative since the Kurds seem to be conditioning their inclusion on Allawi forming the rest of the coalition first, but an Allawi-led Sunni-Kurd-Fadhila coalition would force the prime minister to make radical changes in order to maintain any kind of governing coalition at all.
The association of Khalilzad with the formation of this new coalition, whether accurate or not, could have a negative affect on U.S. relations with the Maliki government if Maliki comes to believe that the U.S. is conspiring against him. There are potential positives that come from this news, but for the U.S. to be associated with attempts to form a new ruling coalition will backlash by reinforcing rampant accusations that the Iraqi government is an American puppet. This is even more true because Allawi was once funded by the CIA.
The same article also reports on a separate incident of special note regarding Iran. Kurdish authorities have declared martial law in the border area around Najwin and closed the border with Iran due to the infiltration of Iraqi territory by members of the terrorist Ansar al-Sunna Army (jaish ansar al-sunna). The article notes that members of the Kurdish border patrol have reported repeated attacks from Sunni terrorists coming from Iranian territory.
ThreatsWatch has reported on the formation of this new coaltion twice in the past two weeks. While I downplayed the significance of Fadhila's actions in these previous reports because of its limited influence outside its base in Basra, the potential addition of the Kurds is much more important. The Kurdish parties have been Maliki's only reliable non-Shia partners, and the defection of both Fadhila and the Kurds would deprive the government of its majority in parliament. This is all still somewhat speculative since the Kurds seem to be conditioning their inclusion on Allawi forming the rest of the coalition first, but an Allawi-led Sunni-Kurd-Fadhila coalition would force the prime minister to make radical changes in order to maintain any kind of governing coalition at all.
The association of Khalilzad with the formation of this new coalition, whether accurate or not, could have a negative affect on U.S. relations with the Maliki government if Maliki comes to believe that the U.S. is conspiring against him. There are potential positives that come from this news, but for the U.S. to be associated with attempts to form a new ruling coalition will backlash by reinforcing rampant accusations that the Iraqi government is an American puppet. This is even more true because Allawi was once funded by the CIA.
Labels: al-Maliki, Fadhela party, Iran, Iraqi National Front, Iyad Allawi, Kurds, Mahmud Uthman, UIA, United Iraqi Alliance
Friday, March 09, 2007
Allawi outlines plans should he gain majority
Politics
(AINA) Ayad Allawi's newly formed Iraqi National Front (INF) seeks to challenge Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and force him to purge Shiite militias from police and government. Allawi, a secular Shiite, was Iraq's interim prime minister in 2004-05. The bloc is a minority in parliament but aspires to overrule al-Maliki on several key issues, Allawi said in an interview with USA TODAY. The two largest Sunni groups in Iraq's parliament joined Allawi's coalition this week. A leading Kurdish politician and some moderate Shiites also have shown interest.
"We cannot see national reconciliation and national unity … thriving in a state of chaos and institutions riddled with militias," Allawi said Tuesday. "We feel our country has really been taken apart." Al-Maliki's ruling coalition includes lawmakers loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric who runs the Mahdi Army militia. The prime minister has given U.S. and Iraqi troops permission to crack down on the Mahdi Army in recent weeks under the new Baghdad security plan, but Allawi voiced frustration with the pace of change.
Allawi said that if he can form a legislative majority, he plans to:
"We cannot see national reconciliation and national unity … thriving in a state of chaos and institutions riddled with militias," Allawi said Tuesday. "We feel our country has really been taken apart." Al-Maliki's ruling coalition includes lawmakers loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric who runs the Mahdi Army militia. The prime minister has given U.S. and Iraqi troops permission to crack down on the Mahdi Army in recent weeks under the new Baghdad security plan, but Allawi voiced frustration with the pace of change.
Allawi said that if he can form a legislative majority, he plans to:
- Replace police under control of the Interior Ministry with Iraqi army troops until the ministry can be thoroughly investigated and purged of militia loyalists.
Impose two years of martial law with rigorously enforced curfews and added checkpoints.
Remove a ban that keeps former members of the Baath Party, which ruled Iraq under Saddam Hussein, from holding government jobs.
While prime minister, Allawi ordered Iraqi security forces into large-scale attacks against the Mahdi Army in Najaf and Sunni militants in Fallujah. Allawi's coalition, then known as the Iraqi List, placed a distant third in the elections in January 2005. Allawi said he does not want to force a change in government. "What we're doing, from within the parliament, is to create a group that … will put pressure on the government … to move the country toward peace and stability," he said.
To pose a major challenge, Allawi probably would need the support of Kurdish parties that support al-Maliki. The Kurds, who account for about 50 seats in the 275-member parliament, are waiting to see whether Allawi can build support, said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish lawmaker. "If we see his front is making change and is really better than what's happening now, of course the Kurds will go for it," Othman said. He said the Kurds have good relations with the Shiite bloc but have more in common with Allawi's secular philosophy.
Wednesday, the Al-Fadhila Party, a moderate Shiite group, broke ranks with the ruling Shiite coalition, but it stopped short of pledging loyalty to Allawi. Sami Alaskary, a Shiite lawmaker, said he was not concerned about the potential challenge until recently, when Allawi traveled to Kurdistan alongside Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador, to meet with Kurdish leaders.
Labels: al-Maliki, government, INF, Iraqi National Front, Iyad Allawi
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Iraq govt agency may take over from U.S. led intelligence service
Intelligence
(CNN) The Iraqi National Intelligence Service, or INIS, is funded completely by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, according to military and intelligence sources. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, the CIA has placed more than 500 officers in Iraq, according to U.S. intelligence sources, making the station the CIA's largest in the world. The INIS head, the secretive Mohammed Abdullah Shahwani, was appointed three years ago by the United States.
But now, the future of the U.S.-controlled agency appears to be in jeopardy. A document from Iraq's National Security Council lays out a blueprint for Iraq's new intelligence community. Under that plan, all intelligence gathering would be consolidated under Iraq's Iranian-friendly central government. Top Iraqi government officials claim the INIS is beyond the control of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. And Shahwani himself is under Iraqi government investigation for unspecified corruption allegations. He has not been seen in at least three months.
U.S. ally and former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Shahwani is being unfairly targeted. "I don't know if it's an attack on U.S. intelligence, but definitely it's a political attack on Shahwani," he said. One of Shahwani's rivals is Shirwan al-Wa'eli, Iraq's minister for national security. In the past two years, al-Wa'eli's ministry has grown to some 3,000 operatives, according to U.S. intelligence. Under the new intelligence plan, it would grow even further. Al-Wa'eli applauds his relationship with Iran while distancing himself from the United States.
"The multinational forces are in Iraq, and they are supportive on the security issue and we have a good relationship with them, but we do not bargain Iraq to any side," al-Wa'eli told CNN. "The Americans give us only moral support, not logistical support." The ministry has become an intelligence organization that the United States and its allies never meant it to be. "It's not a ministry per se," Allawi said. "It's a ministry I created. It's a minister, not a ministry, but things have been [spun] around." Iraqi intelligence sources say the new intelligence plan is headed for the Iraqi Parliament.
U.S. ally and former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Shahwani is being unfairly targeted. "I don't know if it's an attack on U.S. intelligence, but definitely it's a political attack on Shahwani," he said. One of Shahwani's rivals is Shirwan al-Wa'eli, Iraq's minister for national security. In the past two years, al-Wa'eli's ministry has grown to some 3,000 operatives, according to U.S. intelligence. Under the new intelligence plan, it would grow even further. Al-Wa'eli applauds his relationship with Iran while distancing himself from the United States.
"The multinational forces are in Iraq, and they are supportive on the security issue and we have a good relationship with them, but we do not bargain Iraq to any side," al-Wa'eli told CNN. "The Americans give us only moral support, not logistical support." The ministry has become an intelligence organization that the United States and its allies never meant it to be. "It's not a ministry per se," Allawi said. "It's a ministry I created. It's a minister, not a ministry, but things have been [spun] around." Iraqi intelligence sources say the new intelligence plan is headed for the Iraqi Parliament.
Labels: al-Maliki, CIA, INIS, Iraq's minister for national security, Iraq's National Security Council, Iraqi National Intelligence Service, Iyad Allawi, Mohammed Abdullah Shahwani, Shirwan al-Wa'eli
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Al-Maliki is againts the IAF's plan of changing the Defense Minister
Politics, Security
(Voices of Iraq) Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki views that changing Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Ubaidi upon the wish of the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) will "affect the course of the security plan," said Sami al-Aaskari, a Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC) member of parliament, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) on Sunday.
The IAF "has not so far come up with alternatives for its ministers (in the Maliki government)," said Aaskari. Maliki had earlier on Sunday said the expected cabinet reshuffle will take place this week or next week. The IAF occupies three portfolios in the current Iraqi government and was assigned to name a defense minister, Ubaidi.
On the number of ministries to be included in the reshuffle, Aaskari said that the change will involve 10 ministries, including six belonging to the UIC, two to the Iraqi National Slate and two to the IAF. The Iraqi parliament member did not, however, name those ministries but said the UIC "has already named the new nominees." Aaskari said "ministers will be chosen this time from technocratic circles and experience and efficiency would be taken into consideration."
The IAF "has not so far come up with alternatives for its ministers (in the Maliki government)," said Aaskari. Maliki had earlier on Sunday said the expected cabinet reshuffle will take place this week or next week. The IAF occupies three portfolios in the current Iraqi government and was assigned to name a defense minister, Ubaidi.
On the number of ministries to be included in the reshuffle, Aaskari said that the change will involve 10 ministries, including six belonging to the UIC, two to the Iraqi National Slate and two to the IAF. The Iraqi parliament member did not, however, name those ministries but said the UIC "has already named the new nominees." Aaskari said "ministers will be chosen this time from technocratic circles and experience and efficiency would be taken into consideration."
COMMENT: Iyad Allawi (secular Shia) has been in talks with Kurdish leaders to form a new front. This could lead to the destabilisation of al-Maliki and a decrease in Shia political power. The IAF supports Allawi's concept if there is a redistribution of official appointments and the security ministries, as well as freezing of the constitution and dissolving of parliament. If their requirements are not met they have threatened to walk away. The IAF describes their concepts as a 'B' plan should the Baghdad Security Conference - scheduled for next week - fail. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Abdul-Qader al-Ubaidi, al-Maliki, Defense Minister, Iraqi Accord Front, Sami al-Aaskari
Monday, March 05, 2007
Cabinet reshuffle could threaten al-Sadr's position
Politics
(Daily Telegraph) A political crisis that could topple the Iraqi government loomed last night as prime minister Nouri al-Maliki said he was preparing a cabinet reshuffle that could place him at loggerheads with a key Shia parliamentary bloc. Promising a reshuffle "within the next fortnight", Mr Maliki presented it as a way of improving government efficiency. But he is coming under intense pressure from the United States to ditch the six government ministers loyal to Moqtada al Sadr, the fiercely anti-American Shia cleric, and create a moderate coalition government bringing together non-violent parties from across Iraq's ethnic divide.
The so-called Mahdi Army Militia, which Sadr controls, is blamed by Washington for stoking sectarian violence around Baghdad and, in the opinion of US diplomats, its leaders should not be part of the government. Yesterday, hundreds of US soldiers entered the Shia stronghold of Sadr City in the first major push into the area since an American-led security sweep began last month around Baghdad. Soldiers conducted house-to-house searches through the densely populated buildings, but met no resistance in a district firmly in the hands of the Mahdi Army, led by Sadr, said Lt Col David Oclander. "The indication that we are getting is a lot of the really bad folks have gone into hiding," he added.
Mr Maliki's political problem is that his coalition only came to power with the backing of Sadr's 30-strong parliamentary group and it is unclear how he would be able to build a new moderate coalition without those key votes. Yesterday Mr Maliki hinted that he would reduce the number of cabinet positions during the reshuffle. Officials later said there were plans to cut the 39 current portfolios to 30.
Al-Sadr also controls 30 of the 275 parliament seats, and his support for al-Maliki has been responsible for the government's reluctance to crack down on the cleric's Mehdi Army militia, blamed for much of the Shiite-Sunni violence of the past year. U.S. officials had been urging al-Maliki to cut his ties to al-Sadr and form a new alliance of mainstream Shiites, moderate Sunnis and Kurds. Al-Maliki had been stalling, presumably at the urging of the powerful Shiite clerical hierarchy that wants to maintain Shiite unity.
The so-called Mahdi Army Militia, which Sadr controls, is blamed by Washington for stoking sectarian violence around Baghdad and, in the opinion of US diplomats, its leaders should not be part of the government. Yesterday, hundreds of US soldiers entered the Shia stronghold of Sadr City in the first major push into the area since an American-led security sweep began last month around Baghdad. Soldiers conducted house-to-house searches through the densely populated buildings, but met no resistance in a district firmly in the hands of the Mahdi Army, led by Sadr, said Lt Col David Oclander. "The indication that we are getting is a lot of the really bad folks have gone into hiding," he added.
Mr Maliki's political problem is that his coalition only came to power with the backing of Sadr's 30-strong parliamentary group and it is unclear how he would be able to build a new moderate coalition without those key votes. Yesterday Mr Maliki hinted that he would reduce the number of cabinet positions during the reshuffle. Officials later said there were plans to cut the 39 current portfolios to 30.
Al-Sadr also controls 30 of the 275 parliament seats, and his support for al-Maliki has been responsible for the government's reluctance to crack down on the cleric's Mehdi Army militia, blamed for much of the Shiite-Sunni violence of the past year. U.S. officials had been urging al-Maliki to cut his ties to al-Sadr and form a new alliance of mainstream Shiites, moderate Sunnis and Kurds. Al-Maliki had been stalling, presumably at the urging of the powerful Shiite clerical hierarchy that wants to maintain Shiite unity.
Labels: al-Maliki, cabinet reshuffle, Moqtada Al-Sadr
Friday, February 23, 2007
Crossed swords destroyed
(Newsweek) It's the postcard image of Baghdad: a pair of gigantic crossed swords clenched in massive fists. On Tuesday afternoon in the International Zone, 10-foot bronze chunks cut from one fist were stacked haphazardly at the base of the monument, the first step in bringing the swords down. "I was very shocked when I heard they started destroying it," says Mustafa Khadimi, executive director of the Iraq Memory Foundation (IMF), an organization that has meticulously documented the atrocities of the former regime.
The Iraqi government has yet to issue an official statement about the dismantling of the swords, but the effort is clearly already underway. Khadimi says Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made the decision to bring down the monument last week in coordination with a governmental body named the Committee for Removing Symbols of the Saddam Era. Representatives from the IMF have sent letters of protest to the Iraqi government as well as UNESCO. "We need to use these two swords as proof to further generations to show what happened to Iraqi people," says Khadimi.
Like Saddam's bungled execution, a hasty decision to dismantle the monument could inflame sectarian tensions. Many Sunnis, whether they supported Saddam or not, will likely interpret the move as a direct snub by a Shiite-led government. Not exactly the kind of message the government should send while enforcing a new security plan. "The timing doesn't serve anything," says Wamidh Nadhmi, a political science professor at Baghdad University. "This would be a defeat for the whole idea of reconciliation."
Labels: al-Maliki, crossed swords, Hands of Victory, Iraq Memory Foundation
Rape allegations widen political sectarian rift
Politics, Security
(CNN) Allegations that a Sunni woman was raped by Shiite police officers, and the Iraqi government's response has strained the already frayed relations between followers of the Muslim sects. The woman appeared Monday on Al-Jazeera alleging she was raped Sunday by three members of the security forces. She said the rape occurred at a police facility after she was seized in a Baghdad raid, allegedly for helping Sunni insurgents.
She didn't identify the attackers as Shiites. But there is an assumption that they were, because Shiites are predominant in the police force. Many Sunnis regard infiltration by Shiite death squad and militia members in the police force as widespread. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government said Monday that the allegations were investigated and that "medical examinations [show] that the woman has not been subjected to any sexual attack whatsoever."
His office released what it said was a copy of the findings of the medical examination. The report, in English from Ibn Sina Hospital, the U.S.-run medical facility in the Green Zone, said there were "no vaginal lacerations or obvious injury." A U.S. military spokesman confirmed only that the woman was admitted to a medical facility on Sunday and released the next day. The U.S. military said it is gathering information about the incident, which has sparked "great concern."
She didn't identify the attackers as Shiites. But there is an assumption that they were, because Shiites are predominant in the police force. Many Sunnis regard infiltration by Shiite death squad and militia members in the police force as widespread. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government said Monday that the allegations were investigated and that "medical examinations [show] that the woman has not been subjected to any sexual attack whatsoever."
His office released what it said was a copy of the findings of the medical examination. The report, in English from Ibn Sina Hospital, the U.S.-run medical facility in the Green Zone, said there were "no vaginal lacerations or obvious injury." A U.S. military spokesman confirmed only that the woman was admitted to a medical facility on Sunday and released the next day. The U.S. military said it is gathering information about the incident, which has sparked "great concern."
News of the incident reverberated throughout Iraq, spurring outrage from the villages and city neighborhoods. There is also concern in the halls of Iraqi power, where Sunni and Shiites are bickering over how the case is being handled.
The Shiite-dominated government says the "fabricated" story is serving to undermine a security effort -- called Operation Enforcing the Law -- to target insurgents regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliation. Al-Maliki said three warrants have been filed against the woman, but he didn't disclose the charges. He also said that because the rape claims had been made up, he has ordered that the accused officers be rewarded.
Baghdad security plan spokesman Gen. Qassim Atta said the woman, from western Baghdad, is identified as a freedom fighter by some members of the Iraqi Islamic Party, the Sunni political movement. He said that police officers found the clothes of a slain kidnap victim in the woman's house. Although she lived alone, the woman had been seen preparing food for about 10 people at least twice, supporting accusations that she was cooking for insurgents, Atta said. Police also found a passage leading to a neighboring house with a small infirmary and large amounts of medicine, he said.
The Shiite-dominated government says the "fabricated" story is serving to undermine a security effort -- called Operation Enforcing the Law -- to target insurgents regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliation. Al-Maliki said three warrants have been filed against the woman, but he didn't disclose the charges. He also said that because the rape claims had been made up, he has ordered that the accused officers be rewarded.
Baghdad security plan spokesman Gen. Qassim Atta said the woman, from western Baghdad, is identified as a freedom fighter by some members of the Iraqi Islamic Party, the Sunni political movement. He said that police officers found the clothes of a slain kidnap victim in the woman's house. Although she lived alone, the woman had been seen preparing food for about 10 people at least twice, supporting accusations that she was cooking for insurgents, Atta said. Police also found a passage leading to a neighboring house with a small infirmary and large amounts of medicine, he said.
One leading Sunni -- Ahmed Abdul-Ghafour al-Samaraie, who heads a group that takes care of Sunni mosques and shrines -- was dismissed from his government post by al-Maliki, who gave no reason. News reports say al-Samaraie was let go after he joined a chorus of Sunnis asking for an international investigation.
The Iraqi Islamic Party and other Sunni groups condemned what they say was a rape and the subsequent investigation. The Muslim Scholars Association also condemned what it said was an attack by the police force. The story is prominent on many Sunni-oriented Web sites, which refer to the incident as a crime. The Islamic Army in Iraq, a Sunni insurgent group, said in a written statement that it has declared a state of emergency and its operations will now focus on the Iraqi government "and its so-called" security forces. Discussion of rape is taboo in Arab and Muslim society, making the woman's comments on TV shocking.
The Iraqi Islamic Party and other Sunni groups condemned what they say was a rape and the subsequent investigation. The Muslim Scholars Association also condemned what it said was an attack by the police force. The story is prominent on many Sunni-oriented Web sites, which refer to the incident as a crime. The Islamic Army in Iraq, a Sunni insurgent group, said in a written statement that it has declared a state of emergency and its operations will now focus on the Iraqi government "and its so-called" security forces. Discussion of rape is taboo in Arab and Muslim society, making the woman's comments on TV shocking.
Labels: al-Maliki, al-Samaraie, Gen. Qassim Atta, Iraqi Islamic Party, Muslim Scholars Association, rape
Government bodies disbanded by U.S. to get jobs back
Security, Politics
(Azzaman) Members of government bodies the U.S. disbanded in the aftermath of its 2003 invasion will all have their jobs back, according Fayadh Ali, head of a committee charged with looking into the fate of Iraqis who had lost their jobs. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who were employed by the former regime in the army, security, intelligence and other sensitive bodies were sacked.
The move is now seen as a major catalyst that fueled violence in the country. The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wants to reverse those decisions as part of a reconciliation package to lure opponents to the political process. Fayadh is a member of the High Reconciliation Commission and says Maliki was keen to accommodate all those who were affected by U.S. decisions to dismantle several organs of the former government.
In all, the Americans disbanded 18 institutions among them the army, the Baath party, security apparatus, police and the Republican Guards. Fayadh says members of these organizations have two options: either join the ranks of the bodies created by the new government or opt for retirement. He said forms will be forwarded to members of the disbanded organizations and all former employees whether civil or military have the right to apply.
If the plan succeeds, it will be the first comprehensive and tangible move towards reconciliation in Iraq currently torn by sectarian strife and violence. “We must turn a new page and leave behind rancor and hatred which have strained the Iraqi street,” said Lt. Gen. Thamer Sultan of the Defense Ministry. The ministry, he said, was working to accommodate most members of the former army and those who cannot find a place, particularly senior officers, will get a ‘decent’ pension, he said. “There is sincere intention to solve this issue this time. It is not for procrastination and the prime minister himself has issued clear orders to have the plan implemented,” he said.
The move is now seen as a major catalyst that fueled violence in the country. The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wants to reverse those decisions as part of a reconciliation package to lure opponents to the political process. Fayadh is a member of the High Reconciliation Commission and says Maliki was keen to accommodate all those who were affected by U.S. decisions to dismantle several organs of the former government.
In all, the Americans disbanded 18 institutions among them the army, the Baath party, security apparatus, police and the Republican Guards. Fayadh says members of these organizations have two options: either join the ranks of the bodies created by the new government or opt for retirement. He said forms will be forwarded to members of the disbanded organizations and all former employees whether civil or military have the right to apply.
If the plan succeeds, it will be the first comprehensive and tangible move towards reconciliation in Iraq currently torn by sectarian strife and violence. “We must turn a new page and leave behind rancor and hatred which have strained the Iraqi street,” said Lt. Gen. Thamer Sultan of the Defense Ministry. The ministry, he said, was working to accommodate most members of the former army and those who cannot find a place, particularly senior officers, will get a ‘decent’ pension, he said. “There is sincere intention to solve this issue this time. It is not for procrastination and the prime minister himself has issued clear orders to have the plan implemented,” he said.
Labels: al-Maliki, Fayadh Ali, High Reconciliation Commission
Iraqi government welcomes UK decision to withdraw troops
Security
(AP) The Iraqi government on Thursday welcomed the British decision to withdraw troops from Iraq, saying it is in line with plans for Iraqi forces to assume security for the country. Britain announced Wednesday that it will withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq over the coming months and aims to further cut its 7,100-strong contingent by late summer if local forces can secure the southern part of the country.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said it was "a decision in harmony with the government's intention to assume security responsibilities in the province," referring to Basra, a predominantly Shiite area 340 miles southeast of Baghdad. President Jalal Talabani also applauded the decision, with his spokesman saying it would act as a "catalyst for Iraqi forces to assume security responsibilities."
"His excellency considers it as a positive step and thanks British forces for their role in liberating Iraq from dictatorship and maintaining stability in Iraq," Talabani's spokesman Hiwa Othman said. British troops will remain in Iraq until at least 2008 and work to secure the Iran-Iraq border and maintain supply routes to U.S. and coalition troops in central Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said it was "a decision in harmony with the government's intention to assume security responsibilities in the province," referring to Basra, a predominantly Shiite area 340 miles southeast of Baghdad. President Jalal Talabani also applauded the decision, with his spokesman saying it would act as a "catalyst for Iraqi forces to assume security responsibilities."
"His excellency considers it as a positive step and thanks British forces for their role in liberating Iraq from dictatorship and maintaining stability in Iraq," Talabani's spokesman Hiwa Othman said. British troops will remain in Iraq until at least 2008 and work to secure the Iran-Iraq border and maintain supply routes to U.S. and coalition troops in central Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons.
Labels: al-Maliki, British troop withdrawal, Talabani
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
PM advises Mahdi Army to hide in Iran in leaked letter
Security, Politics
(KurdishMedia) The Iraqi Prime Minister advised the Mahdi Army leaders to hide in Iran, revealed a leaked letter from the office of the prime minister and posted online by the Kurdish website peyamner on Tuesday.
A letter issued by the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, with the coordination of the Iraqi National Security Advisor, Muwaffaq al-Rabii, advices Muqtada al-Sadir to hide the leaders of his militants, the Mahdi Army, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in case they are “arrested or killed by the American forces”. Al-Maliki, in his letter states, “The current situation requires to keep the leaders of the Mahdi Army, who are affiliated to the organisation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, away from the front line.”
The letter, dated 14 January 2007 and signed by Iraqi Prime Minister, is written after a telephone conversation between Muqtada al-Sadir and the Iraqi Prime Minister. The Iraqi National Security Advisor, Muwaffaq al-Rabii appears to be part of the operation. The letter is classified as confidential, private and immediate.
The letter states the name of 11 leaders of the Mahdi Army who have links with the Islamic Guards and who are advised by the office of the Prime Minister to leave to Iran. They are: Abas al-Kufi, Amir Muhsin Khwja, salim Hussein, Azhar al-Maliki, al-Shiekh Farhan al-Sayidi (Najaf), Fadhil al-Sarii (the adviser of the Prime Minister), Riyadh al-Nuri (Najaf), Ali al-Firtusi, Hayidar al-Araji, Ahmad al-Darraji and Amir al-Sayidi. The letter is copied to the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, the leadership of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the office of al-Sadir.
A letter issued by the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, with the coordination of the Iraqi National Security Advisor, Muwaffaq al-Rabii, advices Muqtada al-Sadir to hide the leaders of his militants, the Mahdi Army, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in case they are “arrested or killed by the American forces”. Al-Maliki, in his letter states, “The current situation requires to keep the leaders of the Mahdi Army, who are affiliated to the organisation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, away from the front line.”
The letter, dated 14 January 2007 and signed by Iraqi Prime Minister, is written after a telephone conversation between Muqtada al-Sadir and the Iraqi Prime Minister. The Iraqi National Security Advisor, Muwaffaq al-Rabii appears to be part of the operation. The letter is classified as confidential, private and immediate.
The letter states the name of 11 leaders of the Mahdi Army who have links with the Islamic Guards and who are advised by the office of the Prime Minister to leave to Iran. They are: Abas al-Kufi, Amir Muhsin Khwja, salim Hussein, Azhar al-Maliki, al-Shiekh Farhan al-Sayidi (Najaf), Fadhil al-Sarii (the adviser of the Prime Minister), Riyadh al-Nuri (Najaf), Ali al-Firtusi, Hayidar al-Araji, Ahmad al-Darraji and Amir al-Sayidi. The letter is copied to the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, the leadership of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the office of al-Sadir.
Labels: al-Maliki, Iran, Mahdi Army, Moqtada Al-Sadr
al-Maliki fires al-Samaraie over rape case
Politics, Security
(AP) Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki fired a top Sunni official Wednesday after he called for an international investigation into the rape allegations leveled by a Sunni Arab woman against three members of the Shiite-dominated security forces.
A statement by al-Maliki's office gave no reason in announcing the dismissal of Ahmed Abdul-Ghafour al-Samaraie, head of the Sunni Endowments. Al-Samaraie, whose organization cares for Sunni mosques and shrines in Iraq, had joined other prominent Sunnis in criticizing the government's handling of the case.
Al-Samaraie, speaking from Amman in neighboring Jordan, disputed al-Maliki's right to fire him, arguing that only Iraq's Presidential Council, which comprises President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies, has that authority.
A statement by al-Maliki's office gave no reason in announcing the dismissal of Ahmed Abdul-Ghafour al-Samaraie, head of the Sunni Endowments. Al-Samaraie, whose organization cares for Sunni mosques and shrines in Iraq, had joined other prominent Sunnis in criticizing the government's handling of the case.
Al-Samaraie, speaking from Amman in neighboring Jordan, disputed al-Maliki's right to fire him, arguing that only Iraq's Presidential Council, which comprises President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies, has that authority.
In a statement posted on the Web, a major Sunni insurgent group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, declared "we will not sleep or be satisfied until we avenge you and every free woman who was stripped of her virtue and dignity." The authenticity of the statement could not be confirmed.
Labels: al-Maliki, al-Samaraie, rape case, Sunni Endowments
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Row over rape leads to further sectarian political tensions
Security, Politics
(AFP) - Allegations that a squad of Iraqi policemen enforcing a new Baghdad security plan took turns to rape a young Sunni woman have fed sectarian tensions at the summit of the Iraqi government. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office dismissed the woman's complaint out of hand Tuesday, and accused Sunni politicians of exploiting the drama to undermine a joint US-Iraqi operation to quell factional fighting in the capital.
But an aide to
Iraq's Sunni vice president denounced the Shiite premier's response, and claimed initial medical tests carried out at a hospital run by the American military showed that the woman had been sexually assaulted. The rape allegation surfaced on Monday when a Sunni religious body accused police of raping a woman called Sabrin al-Janabi, who repeated the charge herself in an interview with the satellite television network Al-Jazeera.
"One of them hit me. I fell and my head hit the ground," the alleged victim -- the report described her as a 20-year-old married woman -- said in the television interview, speaking from behind a traditional Islamic veil. "One of them raped me. Then another came and raped, and a third. I was screaming, crying and begging them, but he held my mouth so no-one could hear," she continued, calmly but with eyes moist with tears. "Someone came and said to them, 'Are you done? Can we come and take our turn?' But one of them said, 'No, there's an American patrol coming'."
The woman said she was brought before a judge to be arraigned, then taken back by police, raped again, beaten on the thigh with a rubber hose and threatened that she would be killed if she made a complaint.
Maliki's office initially promised a full inquiry then, just four hours later, issued a second statement formally denying the allegations and ordering that the accused officers be commended. "The aim of this fabrication by some known groups is to sow confusion about the security plan and tarnish the reputation of our forces which are tracking terrorist organisations and working to stabilize Baghdad," it said.
The rape row strikes a blow against Maliki's attempts to portray the security plan as even handed, after a series of bomb attacks on Shiite targets undermined early successes in cutting the murder rate. Omar Jaburi, Vice President Tareq al Hashemi's adviser on human rights, said he had been put in charge of the dossier and denounced the statement by Maliki's office as "false" and an attempt to mislead the media.
After she was taken to an Iraqi base, US soldiers arrived and, when she alleged that she had been raped, they transferred her to a hospital overseen by the US military in the fortified Green Zone, Jaburi told AFP. "The initial hospital report confirmed what she had said," Jaburi claimed. "A panel of medical experts is reviewing the evidence, we expect them to report tonight. The hospital is overseen by US forces and is neutral." A spokesman for the US military, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Garver, said: "We've seen the reports. I can't confirm anything at this time."
But an aide to
Iraq's Sunni vice president denounced the Shiite premier's response, and claimed initial medical tests carried out at a hospital run by the American military showed that the woman had been sexually assaulted. The rape allegation surfaced on Monday when a Sunni religious body accused police of raping a woman called Sabrin al-Janabi, who repeated the charge herself in an interview with the satellite television network Al-Jazeera.
"One of them hit me. I fell and my head hit the ground," the alleged victim -- the report described her as a 20-year-old married woman -- said in the television interview, speaking from behind a traditional Islamic veil. "One of them raped me. Then another came and raped, and a third. I was screaming, crying and begging them, but he held my mouth so no-one could hear," she continued, calmly but with eyes moist with tears. "Someone came and said to them, 'Are you done? Can we come and take our turn?' But one of them said, 'No, there's an American patrol coming'."
The woman said she was brought before a judge to be arraigned, then taken back by police, raped again, beaten on the thigh with a rubber hose and threatened that she would be killed if she made a complaint.
Maliki's office initially promised a full inquiry then, just four hours later, issued a second statement formally denying the allegations and ordering that the accused officers be commended. "The aim of this fabrication by some known groups is to sow confusion about the security plan and tarnish the reputation of our forces which are tracking terrorist organisations and working to stabilize Baghdad," it said.
The rape row strikes a blow against Maliki's attempts to portray the security plan as even handed, after a series of bomb attacks on Shiite targets undermined early successes in cutting the murder rate. Omar Jaburi, Vice President Tareq al Hashemi's adviser on human rights, said he had been put in charge of the dossier and denounced the statement by Maliki's office as "false" and an attempt to mislead the media.
After she was taken to an Iraqi base, US soldiers arrived and, when she alleged that she had been raped, they transferred her to a hospital overseen by the US military in the fortified Green Zone, Jaburi told AFP. "The initial hospital report confirmed what she had said," Jaburi claimed. "A panel of medical experts is reviewing the evidence, we expect them to report tonight. The hospital is overseen by US forces and is neutral." A spokesman for the US military, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Garver, said: "We've seen the reports. I can't confirm anything at this time."
Labels: al-Maliki, rape, Sabrin al-Janabi
