Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Al-Sadr believed to be planning to take advantage of power vacuum
Politics
(AP) - From hiding, possibly in Iran, U.S. nemesis and radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is believed to be honing plans to sweep into the power vacuum made all the more intense by news that his chief Shiite rival has lung cancer. And he's betting the U.S. won't keep its troops in Iraq much longer. Al-Sadr aides and loyal lawmakers have told The Associated Press the cleric's ambitions mean he will avoid taking on the Americans militarily as he did in 2004, when his Mahdi Army militia fought U.S. forces to a standstill.
Instead, the 33-year-old cleric plans to keep up the drumbeat of anti-American rhetoric, consolidate political gains in Baghdad and the mainly Shiite south, and quietly foster even closer ties with neighboring Iran and its Shiite theocracy. The strategy is based in part on al-Sadr's belief that Washington will soon start pulling out troops or draw them down significantly, leaving behind a huge hole in Iraq's security and political power structure, al-Sadr's associates said.
Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi told reporters Monday that Iraq's military is drawing up plans in case U.S.-led forces leave the country quickly. "The army plans on the basis of a worst-case scenario so as not to allow any security vacuum," al-Obeidi said. "There are meetings with political leaders on how we can deal with a sudden pullout." It was unclear whether al-Obeidi was referring to routine contingency planning, or if his remarks reflected a new realization among Iraqi leaders that the days of American support may be numbered.
Al-Sadr also believes, his associates said, that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government may not last much longer, given its failure to improve security, services and the economy. A government collapse is certain to be followed by a political realignment in which the Sadrist movement stands a good chance of emerging as the main player. Al-Sadr's loyalists have 30 of parliament's 275 seats.
The six lawmakers and aides spoke to the AP in separate interviews over the past week. Several agreed to speak of the movement's future only on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss strategy with outsiders. They stuck to broad outlines, declining to be drawn into specifics. "We gave the government a historic opportunity, but al-Maliki did not use it and that's why we are preparing for a state led by the Sadrist movement," said an al-Sadr political aide who is among those who spoke on condition of anonymity. "An Islamic state led by the Sadrists is our future," he said.
Instead, the 33-year-old cleric plans to keep up the drumbeat of anti-American rhetoric, consolidate political gains in Baghdad and the mainly Shiite south, and quietly foster even closer ties with neighboring Iran and its Shiite theocracy. The strategy is based in part on al-Sadr's belief that Washington will soon start pulling out troops or draw them down significantly, leaving behind a huge hole in Iraq's security and political power structure, al-Sadr's associates said.
Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi told reporters Monday that Iraq's military is drawing up plans in case U.S.-led forces leave the country quickly. "The army plans on the basis of a worst-case scenario so as not to allow any security vacuum," al-Obeidi said. "There are meetings with political leaders on how we can deal with a sudden pullout." It was unclear whether al-Obeidi was referring to routine contingency planning, or if his remarks reflected a new realization among Iraqi leaders that the days of American support may be numbered.
Al-Sadr also believes, his associates said, that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government may not last much longer, given its failure to improve security, services and the economy. A government collapse is certain to be followed by a political realignment in which the Sadrist movement stands a good chance of emerging as the main player. Al-Sadr's loyalists have 30 of parliament's 275 seats.
The six lawmakers and aides spoke to the AP in separate interviews over the past week. Several agreed to speak of the movement's future only on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss strategy with outsiders. They stuck to broad outlines, declining to be drawn into specifics. "We gave the government a historic opportunity, but al-Maliki did not use it and that's why we are preparing for a state led by the Sadrist movement," said an al-Sadr political aide who is among those who spoke on condition of anonymity. "An Islamic state led by the Sadrists is our future," he said.
"We want an Islamic system," said Nassar al-Rubaie, a Sadrist lawmaker. "We want a presidential system that will produce someone with a power similar to that of a Muslim caliph." On Tuesday, Sadrist lawmakers met with Sunni Arab tribal leaders leading a fight against militants from al-Qaida in Iraq in the western Anbar province. In a joint statement, the two sides called for local elections to be held soon and for Iraq's rival political blocs to rise above their differences.
"We believe that the Sadrist movement is an independent and nationalist movement that we are ready to cooperate with," said Omar Abdul-Sattar, a lawmaker from the Iraqi Islamic Party, the nation's largest Sunni group.
"We believe that the Sadrist movement is an independent and nationalist movement that we are ready to cooperate with," said Omar Abdul-Sattar, a lawmaker from the Iraqi Islamic Party, the nation's largest Sunni group.
Labels: Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi, Iraqi Islamic Party, local elections, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Omar Abdul-Sattar Mahmud, Sunni tribal leaders
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Local tribe members elected to new municipal council in Hiyt
Security, Tribal
(Al Jazeera) - The guns in the city of Hiyt in Iraq's western province of Anbar have finally fallen silent, thanks to the efforts of local administrators and security forces. In mid March, a well-equipped contingent of Iraqi police entered the town, situated 180km west of the capital Baghdad, and immediately began a recruitment drive for local volunteers to take charge of security.
Hiyt, which in the past four years has been the scene of anti-US attacks, air strikes and internal strife, has not had an effective police force since its security headquarters was blown up in December 2004. When Iraqi police returned to the city on March 15, the first order of business was to impose a day-long curfew as they patrolled the streets.
When calls went out for new recruits, several hundred young men registered at their neighbourhood precincts. A Hiyt emergency battalion to combat al-Qaeda was also established and is currently training nearly 500 volunteers. Many of the volunteers who signed up for the new police force belong to the villages surrounding Hiyt, with a large portion belonging to the Majlis Inqaz Al Anbar (The Council for the Protection of Al Anbar), an organisation established by Abdul Satar Abu Risha, a tribal chief.
The council is known to have engaged against al-Qaeda forces in recent weeks. Ahmed Mohamed, a Hiyt resident, said: "We said so early since April 2003 that we want police and army from the citizens of the city, we didn't want strangers from the south and US troops to control us or to move in side districts".
Districts are no longer controlled by US troops but by Iraqi police, in some cases supported by Iraqi army units. Since their March 15 return, police commanders divided the city into several sectors separated by heavy barbed wire and large concrete walls.
A police source told Al Jazeera that the security measures were to curb the movement of cars for a period of 30 days and to tighten control of the movement of peoples from one sector to the next. The new security steps seem to be paying off. By the end of March, police had arrested several men suspected of belonging to "extremist" groups.
The improved security conditions allowed the establishment of the first local elections overseen by Iraqis in the city. On April 4, 21 members of local tribes were elected to a new municipal council. Suburbs in Hiyt are no longer controlled by US soldiers but by Iraqi police units. The council is to manage the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the town, and it has announced that it will expedite the rebuilding of mobile phone services, as well as reopening schools for girls, the Anbar University and internet cafes.
But there is also a strong political movement at work in Hiyt. Hoping to dissuade young men from taking up arms or joining extremist groups, the police have instituted a series of steps to recruit evenly from each tribe in the city. Tribal elders and sheikhs are required to submit lists of men they volunteer for the new police force. Hiyt's new police force is also expected to be reinforced by 1000 new cadets who are currently undergoing training in Habbaniya, a former Iraqi air force base now administered by US forces.
(Al Jazeera) - The guns in the city of Hiyt in Iraq's western province of Anbar have finally fallen silent, thanks to the efforts of local administrators and security forces. In mid March, a well-equipped contingent of Iraqi police entered the town, situated 180km west of the capital Baghdad, and immediately began a recruitment drive for local volunteers to take charge of security.
Hiyt, which in the past four years has been the scene of anti-US attacks, air strikes and internal strife, has not had an effective police force since its security headquarters was blown up in December 2004. When Iraqi police returned to the city on March 15, the first order of business was to impose a day-long curfew as they patrolled the streets.
When calls went out for new recruits, several hundred young men registered at their neighbourhood precincts. A Hiyt emergency battalion to combat al-Qaeda was also established and is currently training nearly 500 volunteers. Many of the volunteers who signed up for the new police force belong to the villages surrounding Hiyt, with a large portion belonging to the Majlis Inqaz Al Anbar (The Council for the Protection of Al Anbar), an organisation established by Abdul Satar Abu Risha, a tribal chief.
The council is known to have engaged against al-Qaeda forces in recent weeks. Ahmed Mohamed, a Hiyt resident, said: "We said so early since April 2003 that we want police and army from the citizens of the city, we didn't want strangers from the south and US troops to control us or to move in side districts".
Districts are no longer controlled by US troops but by Iraqi police, in some cases supported by Iraqi army units. Since their March 15 return, police commanders divided the city into several sectors separated by heavy barbed wire and large concrete walls.
A police source told Al Jazeera that the security measures were to curb the movement of cars for a period of 30 days and to tighten control of the movement of peoples from one sector to the next. The new security steps seem to be paying off. By the end of March, police had arrested several men suspected of belonging to "extremist" groups.
The improved security conditions allowed the establishment of the first local elections overseen by Iraqis in the city. On April 4, 21 members of local tribes were elected to a new municipal council. Suburbs in Hiyt are no longer controlled by US soldiers but by Iraqi police units. The council is to manage the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the town, and it has announced that it will expedite the rebuilding of mobile phone services, as well as reopening schools for girls, the Anbar University and internet cafes.
But there is also a strong political movement at work in Hiyt. Hoping to dissuade young men from taking up arms or joining extremist groups, the police have instituted a series of steps to recruit evenly from each tribe in the city. Tribal elders and sheikhs are required to submit lists of men they volunteer for the new police force. Hiyt's new police force is also expected to be reinforced by 1000 new cadets who are currently undergoing training in Habbaniya, a former Iraqi air force base now administered by US forces.
Labels: Abdul Satar Abu Risha, Al Qaeda, Council for the Protection of Al Anbar, Hiyt, local elections, local tribes, Majlis Inqaz Al Anbar, sheikhs
