Monday, September 17, 2007
Ethnic violence forces more Arabs to flee Kirkuk
Security
(IRIN) -- Iraqi Arab residents of the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, some 250km from Baghdad, say scores of Arab families are fleeing the city as ethnic violence increases there. "The attacks on our community have worsened since February 2007. We are being forced to leave the city almost empty-handed and the government isn't taking any action to support us," said Ali Akram Mahmoud, a spokesperson for Kirkuk's Arabs Association (KAA), formed in 2003 with the aim of safeguarding the rights of Arabs who had settled in the city.
"The number of [Arab] families fleeing the city has increased by 20 percent on previous years. Their flight will seriously affect the upcoming referendum in which Kurds will have a majority not because of their numbers but because, with guns in their hands, they will have forced all Arabs to flee the city. It is absolutely unfair," he said. The December 2007 Kirkuk status referendum is due to decide whether the city becomes part of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
"The most common scene in Kirkuk is of families filling cars with their relatives and fleeing the city in the early morning," said Jihad Muhammad, a political analyst at Mustansiriyah University. Kirkuk was long considered a microcosm of Iraq with its diversity of ethnic and religious groups. However, former President Saddam Hussein's "Arabisation" policy in the early 1980s and during the 1990s forced tens of thousands of Kurds and other non-Arabs to flee. They were replaced with pro-government Arabs from the impoverished south.
Following the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, tens of thousands of Kurds returned to Kirkuk, with their house keys, to find their homes either sold or given to Arabs. This led to attacks by Kurds on Arabs. A local Iraq Red Crescent senior official, who prefers anonymity for security reasons, said since June 2007 at least 2,000 Arab families had fled Kirkuk. "Hundreds of families are fleeing the city without their belongings." They had been forced to search for displacement camps and many had joined the nearly one million displaced families in southern governorates, whilst others were staying on roadsides or in poor areas, he said.
In a local police station IRIN witnessed dozens of families begging for help from police after being forced from their homes by Kurdish militias. They were all told the same thing - that they could not be given individual protection and that they would be best advised to find more secure accommodation in southern Iraq. The city, a multi-ethnic mix of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkomans and Armenians, has plenty of oil, but may not have much time left to avoid being dragged into sectarian bloodshed.
"The number of [Arab] families fleeing the city has increased by 20 percent on previous years. Their flight will seriously affect the upcoming referendum in which Kurds will have a majority not because of their numbers but because, with guns in their hands, they will have forced all Arabs to flee the city. It is absolutely unfair," he said. The December 2007 Kirkuk status referendum is due to decide whether the city becomes part of the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
"The most common scene in Kirkuk is of families filling cars with their relatives and fleeing the city in the early morning," said Jihad Muhammad, a political analyst at Mustansiriyah University. Kirkuk was long considered a microcosm of Iraq with its diversity of ethnic and religious groups. However, former President Saddam Hussein's "Arabisation" policy in the early 1980s and during the 1990s forced tens of thousands of Kurds and other non-Arabs to flee. They were replaced with pro-government Arabs from the impoverished south.
Following the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, tens of thousands of Kurds returned to Kirkuk, with their house keys, to find their homes either sold or given to Arabs. This led to attacks by Kurds on Arabs. A local Iraq Red Crescent senior official, who prefers anonymity for security reasons, said since June 2007 at least 2,000 Arab families had fled Kirkuk. "Hundreds of families are fleeing the city without their belongings." They had been forced to search for displacement camps and many had joined the nearly one million displaced families in southern governorates, whilst others were staying on roadsides or in poor areas, he said.
In a local police station IRIN witnessed dozens of families begging for help from police after being forced from their homes by Kurdish militias. They were all told the same thing - that they could not be given individual protection and that they would be best advised to find more secure accommodation in southern Iraq. The city, a multi-ethnic mix of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkomans and Armenians, has plenty of oil, but may not have much time left to avoid being dragged into sectarian bloodshed.
Labels: Iraq Red Crescent, Kirkuk, Kirkuk's Arabs Association, sectarian violence
Friday, May 18, 2007
Iraqi Sunni and Shiite clerics call for an end to sectarian violence
Security, Religion
(Asharq Alawsat) - Iraqi Sunni and Shiite clerics met earlier this week in the Syrian capital and called for an end to the sectarian violence in their country without detriment to what they called the right to resistance through combating US occupation. Dozens of clerics who gathered at the Damascus-based Kaftaro Academy, which is close to the Syrian government, said that they have created a gathering to fight division and avoid a civil war through dialogue and fatwa-making.
Syria, which is hosting the gathering called "Iraq Clerics' Group", intensified its warnings in the recent period against a sectarian war in Iraq which may spread to the countries of the region and lead to further instability in the Middle East. The secretary-general of the group, Abdul Latif al-Humaym, said in the opening session of the conference: "We are working to activate dialogue and rapprochement between Muslims whatever their schools of thought, so that we can cooperate to free Iraq from the occupier after we rid ourselves of sectarian sedition," according to a Reuters report.
Al-Humaym further said: "We will start dialogue with all the sides of Iraqi society in order to reach internal peace. We know that Iraq will only be liberated through the determination of all its components." The leaders of the group said that they decided to hold their conference in Syria because of threats they had received in Iraq. The conference was attended by Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun. Syrian President Bashar al-Asad said in his speech last week that one way of stopping violence in Iraq goes through holding a national reconciliation conference and resolving the conflicts between the sects.
Syria, which is hosting the gathering called "Iraq Clerics' Group", intensified its warnings in the recent period against a sectarian war in Iraq which may spread to the countries of the region and lead to further instability in the Middle East. The secretary-general of the group, Abdul Latif al-Humaym, said in the opening session of the conference: "We are working to activate dialogue and rapprochement between Muslims whatever their schools of thought, so that we can cooperate to free Iraq from the occupier after we rid ourselves of sectarian sedition," according to a Reuters report.
Al-Humaym further said: "We will start dialogue with all the sides of Iraqi society in order to reach internal peace. We know that Iraq will only be liberated through the determination of all its components." The leaders of the group said that they decided to hold their conference in Syria because of threats they had received in Iraq. The conference was attended by Syrian Grand Mufti Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun. Syrian President Bashar al-Asad said in his speech last week that one way of stopping violence in Iraq goes through holding a national reconciliation conference and resolving the conflicts between the sects.
Ahmad al-Jumayri, a member of the general secretariat of the group, who hails from Ramadi Province, one of the most lethal areas in Iraq for the American forces, said: "Our action will be peaceful. Iraq's crisis is basically political and ideological, not military." He added: "We are working to achieve the unity of the Iraqis and to reach a unified stance to get rid of the occupier. We want a national unity government which will rehabilitate the state institutions and reform the armed forces and the security services so that Iraq is able to rely on itself." Al-Jumayri said that his group, which is not represented in the parliament, includes 600 clerics.
Despite the fact that the conference called for the establishment of national Iraqi institutions, it did not openly call for an immediate withdrawal of the US forces. However, the participants said that resistance is a legitimate right. The member of the higher fatwa commission in Iraq, Rafi Zahir al-Rifai, said: "The enemy is beginning to make us doubt about our fundamental truths, so we started seeking fatwas emphasizing our brothers' belonging to Islam and stressing our right to Jihad against the occupier." Al-Rifai said: "We must all support everyone who stood up and fought the aggressor occupiers, without forgetting to distinguish between them and whoever has killed Iraqi people. Let us always remember that God ordered us to have consultations with all Muslims."
Despite the fact that the conference called for the establishment of national Iraqi institutions, it did not openly call for an immediate withdrawal of the US forces. However, the participants said that resistance is a legitimate right. The member of the higher fatwa commission in Iraq, Rafi Zahir al-Rifai, said: "The enemy is beginning to make us doubt about our fundamental truths, so we started seeking fatwas emphasizing our brothers' belonging to Islam and stressing our right to Jihad against the occupier." Al-Rifai said: "We must all support everyone who stood up and fought the aggressor occupiers, without forgetting to distinguish between them and whoever has killed Iraqi people. Let us always remember that God ordered us to have consultations with all Muslims."
Labels: Abdul Latif al-Humaym, Ahmad al-Jumayri, clerics, Iraq Clerics' Group, sectarian violence, Syria
Friday, May 11, 2007
Violence flares in mixed district in Baghdad
Security
(AP) - Three months into Baghdad's security crackdown, sectarian violence is back on the rise, this time, in a mixed neighborhood that had previously been relatively calm while Sunni-Shiite strife tore apart other parts of the Iraqi capital. Baiyaa, a middle-class district in western Baghdad, has started to display the fears and flight that have already carved up much of the city, which has become a patchwork of separate Sunni and Shiite enclaves.
Snipers have begun appearing in parts of Baiyaa. Many stores have closed, and both Shiite and Sunni families have fled the area in recent weeks. Last Sunday, a car bomb devastated a food market, killing 30 people. The rumblings in Baiyaa have ominous implications for the U.S.-led security plan. They show that previously calm areas are still vulnerable to violence despite the flood of U.S.-Iraqi forces onto Baghdad's streets since February.
Snipers have begun appearing in parts of Baiyaa. Many stores have closed, and both Shiite and Sunni families have fled the area in recent weeks. Last Sunday, a car bomb devastated a food market, killing 30 people. The rumblings in Baiyaa have ominous implications for the U.S.-led security plan. They show that previously calm areas are still vulnerable to violence despite the flood of U.S.-Iraqi forces onto Baghdad's streets since February.
In the early days of the security sweeps, American troops came into Baiyaa in large numbers and patrolled on foot, according to residents. But U.S. forces significantly scaled back by March and ventured only occasionally into Baiyaa, which is on the road leading to Baghdad's international airport. Security was left mostly in the hands of the Iraqi military, dominated by the country's Shiite majority.
The precise reasons for Baiyaa's troubles are not clear, but accusations are thick on both sides. Sunni politicians have accused the Shiite-dominated government of allowing Shiite militias to operate in Baiyaa and elsewhere. Members of three Shiite families that fled Baiyaa a few days ago claimed Sunni extremists had threatened them. Those residents of the neighborhood spoke by telephone on condition of anonymity because they fear reprisals by armed gangs.
U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl said security operations have been stepped up in the larger district that includes Baiyaa. The military has divided Baghdad into 10 districts, each with a permanent U.S.-Iraqi garrison, called a joint security station. The station for the Baiyaa district is in another neighborhood. Baiyaa, however, seemed ripe for trouble. Its dusty streets and low-slung houses borders areas where the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr holds sway.
The precise reasons for Baiyaa's troubles are not clear, but accusations are thick on both sides. Sunni politicians have accused the Shiite-dominated government of allowing Shiite militias to operate in Baiyaa and elsewhere. Members of three Shiite families that fled Baiyaa a few days ago claimed Sunni extremists had threatened them. Those residents of the neighborhood spoke by telephone on condition of anonymity because they fear reprisals by armed gangs.
U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl said security operations have been stepped up in the larger district that includes Baiyaa. The military has divided Baghdad into 10 districts, each with a permanent U.S.-Iraqi garrison, called a joint security station. The station for the Baiyaa district is in another neighborhood. Baiyaa, however, seemed ripe for trouble. Its dusty streets and low-slung houses borders areas where the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr holds sway.
Baiyaa has a Shiite majority but is also the main commercial center of the Sunni-dominated part of Baghdad on the west bank of the Tigris River. Baiyaa's Sunnis are mostly drawn from the Janabi clan dominant in areas south of Baghdad known as the "triangle of death" because of insurgent activity and attacks against Shiites. Baiyaa's Shiites have their roots in southern Iraq.
COMMENT: The word on the street should not be ignored as simple hearsay, even though much of it is obviously false. It helps shape Iraqi opinions and perceptions. These are the latest rumours regarding Bayaa:
In the recent past, Al Rahman Mosque in Bayaa was well-known for harboring Wahabi fighters. In the past few weeks, the rumor is that these Wahabists opened fire on a US patrol that was passing near the mosque. However, the US forces thought that Mahdi Army members opened fire on them and they then fired and called in air support on Mahdi Army members who were at a nearby Hussainiya (Shiite religious complex). The US air support strikes killed many Mahdi Army members. In revenge, Mahdi Army members from Ali Al Bayaa Mosque destroyed Al Rahman Mosque. In the past week, since the clash with US forces, Mahdi Army members have taken over Al Rahman Mosque in Bayaa and changed its name to Imam Al Askari Mosque. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Baiyaa, Bayaa, Janabi clan, Moqtada Al-Sadr, sectarian violence, Shiite militias, Sunni extremists
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Sunni lawmaker likely to lose immunity
Politics
(New York Times) - Iraq's top judicial authority has asked parliament to lift immunity for a prominent Sunni lawmaker, possibly clearing the way for his arrest on charges of provoking sectarian violence. An aide to the lawmaker, Adnan al-Dulaimi, and a Shiite employee of parliament said the request was received 10 to 14 days ago from the Supreme Judicial Council, the main administrative body for Iraq's courts. They said a vote on the issue in parliament had not been scheduled.
Labels: arrest, sectarian violence, Sunni lawmaker
Friday, April 27, 2007
Ministry of Interior says sectarian killings down due to Adhamiya Wall
Security
(Azzaman) - The Ministry of Interior says the construction of the Adhamiya Wall has led to a substantial drop in sectarian killings, a claim which human rights groups and local press dispute. It said the killings dropped to 4-8 per day from 100-120, according to a ministry spokesman. The spokesman’s claim could not be independently confirmed at the time by human rights organizations, including the United Nations say the ministry hides civilian casualty figures.
It is the first time the ministry confirms that more than 100 people were victims of violence every day in Baghdad. The earlier figure was around 30. Simple calculations would put the figure of civilian Iraqis killed through sectarian violence only in Baghdad at more than 3,000 a month. Local press has disputed the spokesman statement that the wall, which has sparked wide criticism in the country, has led to a slash in killings. Journalists who attended the spokesman’s press conference in which he made the remarks wondered whether the ministry was not doctoring the figures again in order to justify the construction of the wall.
It is the first time the ministry confirms that more than 100 people were victims of violence every day in Baghdad. The earlier figure was around 30. Simple calculations would put the figure of civilian Iraqis killed through sectarian violence only in Baghdad at more than 3,000 a month. Local press has disputed the spokesman statement that the wall, which has sparked wide criticism in the country, has led to a slash in killings. Journalists who attended the spokesman’s press conference in which he made the remarks wondered whether the ministry was not doctoring the figures again in order to justify the construction of the wall.
Labels: Adhamiyah, Azamiyah wall, Ministry of Interior, sectarian violence
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
UNAMI - civilian casualties high in Baghdad despite security operation
Security, U.N., Human Rights
(AP) - Sectarian violence continued to claim the lives of a large number of Iraqi civilians in Sunni Arab and Shiite neighborhoods of Iraq's capital, despite the coalition's new Baghdad security plan, the U.N. said Wednesday. In its first human rights report since the security plan was launched on Feb. 14, with increasing U.S. and Iraqi troops levels in the capital, the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said civilian casualties in the daily violence between January and March remained high, concentrated in and around Baghdad.
UNAMI also said that for the first time since it began issuing quarterly reports on the human rights situation in Iraq, the new Jan. 1 through March 31 report did not contain overall death figures from Iraq's Ministry of Health because it refused to release them. The U.N. agency said the reason appeared to be that after the publication of its last human rights report on Jan. 16, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office told UNAMI its mortality figures were exaggerated, "although they were in fact official figures compiled and provided by a government ministry."
"While government officials claimed an initial drop in the number of killings in the latter half of February following the launch of the Baghdad security plan, the number of reported casualties rose again in March," the UNAMI study said. Despite the government's announced decrease, the number of victims remained high, with up to 25 bodies still being found on some days during this period in Baghdad, the report said.
On March 1, it said, Iraq's Ministry of Interior announced that 1,646 civilians were killed in Iraq in February, most of them in Baghdad, but that "it is unclear on what basis these figures were compiled." UNAMI said that even though its current report's evidence cannot be numerically substantiated with government figures, it shows continued high levels of violence throughout the period, including large scale indiscriminate killings and assassinations by insurgents, militias and other armed groups.
UNAMI also said that for the first time since it began issuing quarterly reports on the human rights situation in Iraq, the new Jan. 1 through March 31 report did not contain overall death figures from Iraq's Ministry of Health because it refused to release them. The U.N. agency said the reason appeared to be that after the publication of its last human rights report on Jan. 16, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office told UNAMI its mortality figures were exaggerated, "although they were in fact official figures compiled and provided by a government ministry."
"While government officials claimed an initial drop in the number of killings in the latter half of February following the launch of the Baghdad security plan, the number of reported casualties rose again in March," the UNAMI study said. Despite the government's announced decrease, the number of victims remained high, with up to 25 bodies still being found on some days during this period in Baghdad, the report said.
On March 1, it said, Iraq's Ministry of Interior announced that 1,646 civilians were killed in Iraq in February, most of them in Baghdad, but that "it is unclear on what basis these figures were compiled." UNAMI said that even though its current report's evidence cannot be numerically substantiated with government figures, it shows continued high levels of violence throughout the period, including large scale indiscriminate killings and assassinations by insurgents, militias and other armed groups.
Labels: Baghdad, human rights, Ministry of Health, Operation Fardh al-Qanoon, sectarian violence, U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, UNAMI
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The resurgence of death squads
Security
(AINA) - In a new sign of the resurgence of death squads, both Sunni and Shia, despite an ongoing U.S.-Iraqi security operation, several dozen people were found dead across the country Monday. In Baghdad, 25 bodies with signs of torture were found dumped in different areas yesterday, bringing the total over the last three days to 67, the highest number since the start of the U.S.-led Imposing Law security operation. Anecdotal evidence from local sources in Baghdad suggest the numbers are much higher, since many corpses are left on the street for days without being picked up by authorities.
Residents in the Sunni-majority district of Adhamiya reported several bodies in their area, including one in the middle of the commercial Dhubat Street left by insurgents who were described as "Al-Qaeda" by locals. Almost all victims are Sunni, some of them members of rival insurgent groups, local council members, or Islamic Party members and other Sunnis who have participated in the political process, according to residents.
Residents in the Sunni-majority district of Adhamiya reported several bodies in their area, including one in the middle of the commercial Dhubat Street left by insurgents who were described as "Al-Qaeda" by locals. Almost all victims are Sunni, some of them members of rival insurgent groups, local council members, or Islamic Party members and other Sunnis who have participated in the political process, according to residents.
They said anyone who dares even look at the body, let alone touch it or remove it, would risk immediate execution by militants. U.S. and Iraqi forces are just a few hundred meters away at the newly renovated Adhamiya police station, residents said, but they are usually oblivious to what is going on around them behind the concrete blast walls when they are not out on patrol. Similar scenes are described in many parts of western and southern Baghdad.
Labels: Adhamiyah, death squads, sectarian violence
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Civilian deaths fall in Baghdad, rise outside the capital
Security
(AP) - Iraqi civilian deaths have fallen in Baghdad in the two months since the Feb. 14 start of the U.S.-led offensive, according to an Associated Press tally. Outside the capital, however, civilian deaths are up as Sunni and Shiite extremists shift their operations to avoid the crackdown. And the sweeps have taken a heavy toll on U.S. forces: Deaths among American soldiers climbed 21 percent in Baghdad compared with the previous two months.
Figures compiled by the AP from Iraqi police reports show that 1,586 civilians were killed in Baghdad between the start of the offensive and Thursday. That represents a sharp drop from the 2,871 civilians who died violently in the capital during the two months that preceded the security crackdown. Outside the capital, 1,504 civilians were killed between Feb. 14 and Thursday, April 12 compared with 1,009 deaths during the two previous months, the AP figures show.
Sunni and Shiite militants remain a potent force, regardless of whether they are slaughtering civilians in the capital at the previous rate. "It is not going to be possible to see just how well the resulting mix of capabilities will counter the insurgency until the late spring of 2008 at the earliest," wrote former Pentagon analyst Anthony Cordesman. "The various insurgents and hostile groups may be weakened or suppressed early on, but will do their best to react." It is unclear why deaths outside Baghdad have increased. However, U.S. military officials say both Sunni and Shiite extremists left Baghdad ahead of the crackdown, instead stepping up their operations in a belt of communities around the capital.
The rise in deaths outside Baghdad may also be partly a result of clashes in Anbar province between al-Qaida extremists and Sunni tribes that have broken with the extremist movement. One key finding of the figures: Although civilians deaths are down in the capital, a careful analysis of the figures shows that sectarian tensions remain high.
Of the 1,586 civilians killed in Baghdad since the start of the crackdown, more than half, or 832, appear to have been the victims of sectarian death squads. Their bodies were found scattered around the city. That number represents a significant drop from the 1,754 bodies found in the capital during the two months before the crackdown, according to AP figures. Still, the figure shows that the security crackdown has been unable to stop death squads entirely.
Furthermore, the number of civilians killed by suicide bombers has risen in Baghdad, 352 during the crackdown compared with 279 in the two months before. Suicide bombings are considered the signature attack of Sunni religious extremists, including al-Qaida in Iraq. And most of the suicide attacks occurred in largely Shiite areas of the capital, indicating attacks on Shiites by Sunnis.
The AP count includes civilians as well as government officials and police and security forces, and is considered a minimum based on AP reporting. There have been no figures provided by the U.N. or the Iraqi government since the Baghdad crackdown began.
Figures compiled by the AP from Iraqi police reports show that 1,586 civilians were killed in Baghdad between the start of the offensive and Thursday. That represents a sharp drop from the 2,871 civilians who died violently in the capital during the two months that preceded the security crackdown. Outside the capital, 1,504 civilians were killed between Feb. 14 and Thursday, April 12 compared with 1,009 deaths during the two previous months, the AP figures show.
Sunni and Shiite militants remain a potent force, regardless of whether they are slaughtering civilians in the capital at the previous rate. "It is not going to be possible to see just how well the resulting mix of capabilities will counter the insurgency until the late spring of 2008 at the earliest," wrote former Pentagon analyst Anthony Cordesman. "The various insurgents and hostile groups may be weakened or suppressed early on, but will do their best to react." It is unclear why deaths outside Baghdad have increased. However, U.S. military officials say both Sunni and Shiite extremists left Baghdad ahead of the crackdown, instead stepping up their operations in a belt of communities around the capital.
The rise in deaths outside Baghdad may also be partly a result of clashes in Anbar province between al-Qaida extremists and Sunni tribes that have broken with the extremist movement. One key finding of the figures: Although civilians deaths are down in the capital, a careful analysis of the figures shows that sectarian tensions remain high.
Of the 1,586 civilians killed in Baghdad since the start of the crackdown, more than half, or 832, appear to have been the victims of sectarian death squads. Their bodies were found scattered around the city. That number represents a significant drop from the 1,754 bodies found in the capital during the two months before the crackdown, according to AP figures. Still, the figure shows that the security crackdown has been unable to stop death squads entirely.
Furthermore, the number of civilians killed by suicide bombers has risen in Baghdad, 352 during the crackdown compared with 279 in the two months before. Suicide bombings are considered the signature attack of Sunni religious extremists, including al-Qaida in Iraq. And most of the suicide attacks occurred in largely Shiite areas of the capital, indicating attacks on Shiites by Sunnis.
The AP count includes civilians as well as government officials and police and security forces, and is considered a minimum based on AP reporting. There have been no figures provided by the U.N. or the Iraqi government since the Baghdad crackdown began.
Labels: civilian deaths, militias, sectarian violence
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Sectarian violence ongoing despite Baghdad security operation
Security
(McClatchy Newspapers) - Nearly two months into a Baghdad security plan intended to calm the Iraqi capital by protecting residents from sectarian violence, Shiite Muslim militia members are still driving Sunni Muslims from religiously mixed neighborhoods. Iraqi soldiers, usually ethnic Kurds, reportedly have intervened in some instances to stop the militia campaign. But interviews with Sunni residents found that most of the efforts go unchallenged in a city where it's increasingly rare for Shiites or Sunnis to remain in neighborhoods that the other sect dominates.
Residents displaced in the past four months describe a new effort that haunts them after they flee. It begins with intimidating phone calls, then escalates into bombings or the dismantling of Sunni homes. The residents said the perpetrators were members of the Mahdi Army militia, which is loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr reportedly has told his followers to lie low and not challenge U.S. troops as they fan out across the capital in an effort to restore order.
But that show of cooperation hasn't prevented the militia from trying to cement its grip on some formerly mixed-sect neighborhoods, residents report. Lt. Col Chris Garver, a U.S. military spokesman, didn't dispute that Mahdi Army members are still working to clear neighborhoods of Sunni residents. He said the security plan was in its early stages and that with three of five additional U.S. brigades now in Baghdad, there still weren't enough troops to halt illegal militia activities in every neighborhood.
"These are exactly the type of activities that we will clear, and free the neighborhoods from the influence of illegal armed groups, insurgents, militias or other criminals," Garver said. "In order for the plan to work, Iraqi residents must report these activities." Residents described a multifaceted program that begins with efforts to force a family to leave and continues even after the house is abandoned. Then, residents reported, Mahdi Army members work to persuade the homeowner to sell the abandoned house at below-market rates and to prevent the owner from installing a tenant.
Residents displaced in the past four months describe a new effort that haunts them after they flee. It begins with intimidating phone calls, then escalates into bombings or the dismantling of Sunni homes. The residents said the perpetrators were members of the Mahdi Army militia, which is loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr reportedly has told his followers to lie low and not challenge U.S. troops as they fan out across the capital in an effort to restore order.
But that show of cooperation hasn't prevented the militia from trying to cement its grip on some formerly mixed-sect neighborhoods, residents report. Lt. Col Chris Garver, a U.S. military spokesman, didn't dispute that Mahdi Army members are still working to clear neighborhoods of Sunni residents. He said the security plan was in its early stages and that with three of five additional U.S. brigades now in Baghdad, there still weren't enough troops to halt illegal militia activities in every neighborhood.
"These are exactly the type of activities that we will clear, and free the neighborhoods from the influence of illegal armed groups, insurgents, militias or other criminals," Garver said. "In order for the plan to work, Iraqi residents must report these activities." Residents described a multifaceted program that begins with efforts to force a family to leave and continues even after the house is abandoned. Then, residents reported, Mahdi Army members work to persuade the homeowner to sell the abandoned house at below-market rates and to prevent the owner from installing a tenant.
The plan to keep Sunnis out of formerly mixed neighborhoods is evident as well in the Hurriyah section of northern Baghdad, which the Mahdi Army now dominates. Photos of dead Mahdi Army members hang throughout the streets, and red X's mark businesses and homes where Sunni families were pushed out. One Kurdish member of Iraq's army, interviewed Wednesday, said his unit was ordered to intervene 10 days ago when Mahdi Army members began dismantling homes near a Sunni mosque that had been destroyed during what residents said was a three-month militia push late last year to drive Sunnis from the area.
A prominent member of the Mahdi Army, who asked not to be identified because he was admitting illegal activities, acknowledged that the militia was behind a campaign to drive what he termed "bad" Sunnis from Hurriyah. He was unapologetic, saying the militia acts on orders to kill or kick out Sunnis who are connected to insurgent groups that have killed thousands of Shiites. Asking Shiites not to pay rent to Sunnis was an educational campaign, he said. "This is wrong, and that amount of money may be used by Sunni terrorists for killing Shiites," he said. "We must inform them."
A prominent member of the Mahdi Army, who asked not to be identified because he was admitting illegal activities, acknowledged that the militia was behind a campaign to drive what he termed "bad" Sunnis from Hurriyah. He was unapologetic, saying the militia acts on orders to kill or kick out Sunnis who are connected to insurgent groups that have killed thousands of Shiites. Asking Shiites not to pay rent to Sunnis was an educational campaign, he said. "This is wrong, and that amount of money may be used by Sunni terrorists for killing Shiites," he said. "We must inform them."
Labels: Kurds, Lt. Col Chris Garver, Mahdi Army, sectarian violence, Shiite militias
Monday, April 02, 2007
Extremists use violence to drive further wedge between Sunnis and Shias
Security
A wave of sectarian attacks that swept Iraq last week and this weekend is giving new steam to hard-liners of all stripes. From mosques to party headquarters, extremists have seized on the events to drive a wedge further between Shiite and Sunni, laying down tough challenges to US and Iraqi forces. At least 600 Iraqis died in the violence last week, the deadliest period since the Baghdad security plan started in February.
While US and Iraqi officials say that Baghdad is quieter, violence has grown outside the capital. Bombings in Tal Afar provoked Shiite policemen to kill dozens of Sunnis in retaliation. Insurgents targeted other Shiite areas, and in Mosul on Sunday bombs exploded at an Iraqi Army base. In March, some 1,861 Iraqis were killed, 216 more than in February.
The surge in attacks is part of a bid by militant Sunnis to undermine the Shiite-led government, says Joost Hiltermann, an analyst with the International Crisis Group (ICG) based in Amman, Jordan. "The takfeeris have stepped up their attacks to show that they control the streets and do whatever they want," he says referring to Sunnis who consider Shiites infidels and attack them.
Mr. Hiltermann also says Sunni militants want to provoke Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army to retaliate. That, he says, would expose them to US forces that have been pursuing and arresting several prominent members of the Mahdi Army. The militia is implicated in sectarian killing and accused of using Iranian-made bombs against US troops. While the sectarian vitriol appeared to reach new heights over the weekend, US lawmakers who were in Iraq Sunday said there was indeed progress as a result of the Baghdad security plan.
"The American people are not getting the full picture of what's happening here. They're not getting the full picture of the drop in murders, the establishment of security outposts throughout the city, the situation in Anbar Province, the deployment of additional Iraqi brigades that are performing well, and other signs of progress having been made," said Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential hopeful from Arizona.
US commander Gen. David Petraeus said in a statement Friday that Al Qaeda elements in Iraq were carrying out "barbaric actions" to fuel sectarian strife and undermine the "successes" of improving Baghdad security.
While US and Iraqi officials say that Baghdad is quieter, violence has grown outside the capital. Bombings in Tal Afar provoked Shiite policemen to kill dozens of Sunnis in retaliation. Insurgents targeted other Shiite areas, and in Mosul on Sunday bombs exploded at an Iraqi Army base. In March, some 1,861 Iraqis were killed, 216 more than in February.
The surge in attacks is part of a bid by militant Sunnis to undermine the Shiite-led government, says Joost Hiltermann, an analyst with the International Crisis Group (ICG) based in Amman, Jordan. "The takfeeris have stepped up their attacks to show that they control the streets and do whatever they want," he says referring to Sunnis who consider Shiites infidels and attack them.
Mr. Hiltermann also says Sunni militants want to provoke Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army to retaliate. That, he says, would expose them to US forces that have been pursuing and arresting several prominent members of the Mahdi Army. The militia is implicated in sectarian killing and accused of using Iranian-made bombs against US troops. While the sectarian vitriol appeared to reach new heights over the weekend, US lawmakers who were in Iraq Sunday said there was indeed progress as a result of the Baghdad security plan.
"The American people are not getting the full picture of what's happening here. They're not getting the full picture of the drop in murders, the establishment of security outposts throughout the city, the situation in Anbar Province, the deployment of additional Iraqi brigades that are performing well, and other signs of progress having been made," said Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential hopeful from Arizona.
US commander Gen. David Petraeus said in a statement Friday that Al Qaeda elements in Iraq were carrying out "barbaric actions" to fuel sectarian strife and undermine the "successes" of improving Baghdad security.
Labels: Mahdi Army, sectarian violence, Sunni militants
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Al-Maliki orders investigation into Tal Afar sectarian violence
Security
(VOI) – The Iraqi Prime Minister has ordered an investigation committee to be formed to punish elements believed to have been involved in attacks on citizens after the recent bomb attacks in the city, the state-run al-Iraqiya satellite channel said on Wednesday. Demonstrations were staged earlier in Talafar streets, during which the protesters called for the city’s mayor and chief of police to be dismissed.
A total of sixty executed bodies arrived at the Talafar public hospital on Wednesday, the director of the hospital said. Dr. Saleh al-Qdou told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI), “The victims are men, women and children who were executed late Tuesday." Meanwhile, eyewitnesses confirmed that armed militiamen with police wearing civilian clothes had gone to the streets and carried out executions.
For his part, Turkuman front official in Ninewa province Ali al-Talafari confirmed the news, asserting that the irresponsible acts by some police elements were contained while 18 policemen were arrested. The police did not comment on the incident. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also strongly criticized the bombing attacks in Talafar that left 51 dead and 183 wounded. He vowed to track down the perpetrators.
Sectarian violence continued Thursday, when five mortar shells hit a Shiite district, wounding three people, according to police Brig. Abdul-Karim al-Jibouri. The city was under curfew Thursday for the second successive day, said al-Jibouri. Husham al-Hamdani, head of the provincial government's security committee in nearby Mosul, said local authorities planned a reconciliation meeting between the city's Sunni and Shiite leaders. He also announced that policemen arrested Wednesday on suspicion of taking part in the revenge killings have been freed. He declined to give a reason.
Labels: Ali al-Talafari, Brig. Abdul-Karim al-Jibouri, sectarian violence, Tal Afar
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Despite U.S. troop surge, sectarian violence sprials
Security
(Azzaman) - Sectarian clashes have intensified once again despite the surge in U.S. troops. Sectarian factions have resumed attacking mosques of the opposite sects and dumping bodies of rivals on streets. A mortar shell was fired on a mosque in the town of Iskandariya in the Province of Babel, south of Baghdad, killing one person and injuring five others.
Fierce clashes erupted in the town in which attacks were carried out on three Husayniyats. There are differences in the places of worship attended by Muslim Shiites and Muslim Sunnis. Shiites’ pray at Husayniyats, which are modest structures in comparison to the mosques normally attended by Sunnis.
Security in Babel Province, though predominantly Shiite, has worsened recently as U.S. and Iraqi troops are striving to tighten their grip on Baghdad where 17 corpses dumped on streets were collectd by police yesterday. Iraqi troops say they have imposed a curfew on Iskandariya and the surrounding areas and called in U.S. helicopter gun ships to chase insurgents.
Lt. General Qais al-Maamouri, who commands the Iraqi division deployed in Iskandariya, claimed that his troops had the city under control. The violence started when a Husayniya was blown up by a car bomb in the district of Haswa, killing eight people and injuring 43.
Fierce clashes erupted in the town in which attacks were carried out on three Husayniyats. There are differences in the places of worship attended by Muslim Shiites and Muslim Sunnis. Shiites’ pray at Husayniyats, which are modest structures in comparison to the mosques normally attended by Sunnis.
Security in Babel Province, though predominantly Shiite, has worsened recently as U.S. and Iraqi troops are striving to tighten their grip on Baghdad where 17 corpses dumped on streets were collectd by police yesterday. Iraqi troops say they have imposed a curfew on Iskandariya and the surrounding areas and called in U.S. helicopter gun ships to chase insurgents.
Lt. General Qais al-Maamouri, who commands the Iraqi division deployed in Iskandariya, claimed that his troops had the city under control. The violence started when a Husayniya was blown up by a car bomb in the district of Haswa, killing eight people and injuring 43.
COMMENT: This comes as no surprise, despite sectarian deaths being down in Baghdad during the security operation, they have now risen again - probably due to the presence and actions of Mahdi militia resulting in reprisals. Throughout the security operation violence intensified in the provinces. Violent elements were merely lying low in Baghdad and biding their time. A troop surge will only achieve short term objectives. The solution has to be political, as well as miltary. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: Husayniya, Iskandariyah, mosques, sectarian violence
