Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
June 24, 2008
Pg. 6
Al-Maliki touts success against militias in south
By Charles Levinson, USA Today
BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took a victory lap Monday through the streets of Amarah, the latest city to be retaken from the control of Shiite militias.
The Iraqi army reported no major resistance during four days of operations, and al-Maliki walked freely through the southern city Monday. In a speech attended by local tribal leaders, he vowed to continue "using force against those who revolt against the will of the people."
A string of military successes since March — in Basra, Mosul, Sadr City and now Amarah — has brought a degree of peace to once-violent cities and significantly strengthened al-Maliki's government. The Iraqi army has routed the militias largely on its own. The troops depend on the U.S. military for air power and strategic support but conduct most operations themselves.
There are some concerns that the militias could still regroup, though.
"We don't know yet if they don't want to fight anymore because they know the government is strong now, or if it's just a tactical retreat," said Gen. Dhafer Abed al-Mohammadawi of the Iraqi police.
Instead of fighting as they did in other cities, militia leaders in Amarah ordered their followers to dig up roadside bombs and lay down their weapons ahead of the crackdown, according to al-Mohammadawi. Senior militia leaders are believed to have fled to neighboring Iran, he said.
"Nobody fired a single bullet against the security forces," said Mohammad al-Nussairi, 26, an elementary school teacher in Amarah.
Like other residents, though, al-Nussairi expressed concerns the peace would not last. "Where did all the militants go? How can we feel sure they won't come back as soon as the army leaves?" he said.
Al-Maliki declared his next target would be Diyala, the restive Sunni-dominated province where a female suicide bomber killed 15 people Sunday.
By following a campaign against Shiite militias in the south with a crackdown on Sunni insurgents north of Baghdad, al-Maliki hopes to restore order without disturbing the fragile calm that has taken hold among Iraq's religious sects, said Salim Jabbouri, a spokesman for the Sunni Accordance Front, the main Sunni political bloc.
"It's very clever. He makes one military operation against the Shiites, and then one against the Sunnis," Jabbouri said. "He wants to prove that they are treating all the people equally."
Al-Maliki is from the Shiite Islamist Dawa Party and until recently was criticized by many Sunnis who said he acted only in the interest of his own religious sect.
Today, it is some fellow Shiites — namely, followers of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr — who are crying foul, accusing the government of exploiting security concerns to weaken their political influence ahead of provincial elections this fall. A number of al-Sadr supporters in Amarah were detained in recent days, including the city's mayor.
Al-Sadr remains fiercely opposed to the U.S. presence in Iraq and said last week he was reforming his militia to focus on fighting American forces.
"Al-Maliki is singling out our supporters to please the Americans," said Nasser al-Saidee, a Sadrist lawmaker.
With each successive operation since March, the resistance against the Iraqi army has dwindled. Al-Maliki's supporters in Parliament, such as Shiite lawmaker Qassim Dawood, say Iraqis are increasingly willing to support the government now that they are confident it will prevail.
"The people aren't going to take risks and support the government if they think the government is going to lose to the militias," Dawood said. "The government is winning every fight now, and suddenly it's looking like the smarter team to be on."
Also Monday, a disgruntled local official fired on U.S. soldiers leaving a municipal council meeting southeast of Baghdad, killing two of them and wounding four others, the Associated Press reported.
The motive for the attack was unclear, and U.S. officials released no further details except that the assailant was killed, AP reported.
June 24, 2008
Pg. 6
Al-Maliki touts success against militias in south
By Charles Levinson, USA Today
BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took a victory lap Monday through the streets of Amarah, the latest city to be retaken from the control of Shiite militias.
The Iraqi army reported no major resistance during four days of operations, and al-Maliki walked freely through the southern city Monday. In a speech attended by local tribal leaders, he vowed to continue "using force against those who revolt against the will of the people."
A string of military successes since March — in Basra, Mosul, Sadr City and now Amarah — has brought a degree of peace to once-violent cities and significantly strengthened al-Maliki's government. The Iraqi army has routed the militias largely on its own. The troops depend on the U.S. military for air power and strategic support but conduct most operations themselves.
There are some concerns that the militias could still regroup, though.
"We don't know yet if they don't want to fight anymore because they know the government is strong now, or if it's just a tactical retreat," said Gen. Dhafer Abed al-Mohammadawi of the Iraqi police.
Instead of fighting as they did in other cities, militia leaders in Amarah ordered their followers to dig up roadside bombs and lay down their weapons ahead of the crackdown, according to al-Mohammadawi. Senior militia leaders are believed to have fled to neighboring Iran, he said.
"Nobody fired a single bullet against the security forces," said Mohammad al-Nussairi, 26, an elementary school teacher in Amarah.
Like other residents, though, al-Nussairi expressed concerns the peace would not last. "Where did all the militants go? How can we feel sure they won't come back as soon as the army leaves?" he said.
Al-Maliki declared his next target would be Diyala, the restive Sunni-dominated province where a female suicide bomber killed 15 people Sunday.
By following a campaign against Shiite militias in the south with a crackdown on Sunni insurgents north of Baghdad, al-Maliki hopes to restore order without disturbing the fragile calm that has taken hold among Iraq's religious sects, said Salim Jabbouri, a spokesman for the Sunni Accordance Front, the main Sunni political bloc.
"It's very clever. He makes one military operation against the Shiites, and then one against the Sunnis," Jabbouri said. "He wants to prove that they are treating all the people equally."
Al-Maliki is from the Shiite Islamist Dawa Party and until recently was criticized by many Sunnis who said he acted only in the interest of his own religious sect.
Today, it is some fellow Shiites — namely, followers of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr — who are crying foul, accusing the government of exploiting security concerns to weaken their political influence ahead of provincial elections this fall. A number of al-Sadr supporters in Amarah were detained in recent days, including the city's mayor.
Al-Sadr remains fiercely opposed to the U.S. presence in Iraq and said last week he was reforming his militia to focus on fighting American forces.
"Al-Maliki is singling out our supporters to please the Americans," said Nasser al-Saidee, a Sadrist lawmaker.
With each successive operation since March, the resistance against the Iraqi army has dwindled. Al-Maliki's supporters in Parliament, such as Shiite lawmaker Qassim Dawood, say Iraqis are increasingly willing to support the government now that they are confident it will prevail.
"The people aren't going to take risks and support the government if they think the government is going to lose to the militias," Dawood said. "The government is winning every fight now, and suddenly it's looking like the smarter team to be on."
Also Monday, a disgruntled local official fired on U.S. soldiers leaving a municipal council meeting southeast of Baghdad, killing two of them and wounding four others, the Associated Press reported.
The motive for the attack was unclear, and U.S. officials released no further details except that the assailant was killed, AP reported.