Iraq’s government hopes to bring the entire country under its security control by year’s end. But one critical area stands in the way: the western province of Anbar, where the Sunni insurgency was born and later received its first blows from a civil uprising.
The transfer from US military authority in Anbar has become stalled by worries that a hasty move could tempt unrest and reopen rivalries — drawing in the same armed Sunni factions that the US courted to help uproot al-Qaeda in Iraq.
The cautious approach also apparently reflects a desire by Washington not to risk any new complications while Iraqi leaders tussle with a host of messy problems, including seeking agreements on holding provincial elections and opening oil fields to foreign investors.
PHOTO: AFP
Talks on Anbar — a vast swath stretching from near Baghdad to the western borders — have moved into the slow lane after much fanfare last month when the planned transfer to Iraqi security control was announced and then abruptly put on hold.
The biggest issue in the holdup is the fear that internal political rivalries in Anbar could escalate into open conflict without US troops as a buffer.
On one side is the old-guard political leadership in Anbar, known as the Iraqi Islamic Party. The other emerging power is the Awakening Council movement — the groups that turned against al-Qaeda last year and helped stir a wider Sunni backlash against the insurgency across Iraq.
The challenge is how to pull out US control without either side feeling it is sacrificing influence or facing pressure from the Shiite-led Iraqi military forces that could step in.
The internal intrigue in Anbar is already growing. Both sides are jockeying ahead of provincial elections that Iraq hopes to hold this fall.
Further rifts could provide an opening for al-Qaeda to try to regain some footing in Anbar, where insurgents still manage to stage infrequent — but significant — attacks.
Last month, a group linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing near Fallujah that killed more than 20 people, including three US Marines and prominent sheiks who had turned against the insurgents. One of the Marines commanded the battalion in the area.
A day after the attack, the US military announced the postponement in the ceremonies to handing over Anbar province to Iraqi security control. The statement said a “new date will be announced as soon as it is made available.”
Iraqi officials have hinted at a date sometime after the provincial elections, which are scheduled for Oct. 1.
Sheik Abdul-Karim al-Assal, deputy head of the Anbar Awakening Council, said a security blueprint has been presented to the government. The proposal seeks to bring the Awakening groups into the official security fold.
“We have the ability of maintaining the security of the province along with Iraqi police and army after the handover,” he said.
Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq’s national security adviser, has said negotiations on Anbar are at “a delicate stage” and cannot be rushed. Still, on Wednesday’s security handover in the southern province of Qadisiyah, he said Iraqi leaders hope to have their military and police in full charge of the entire country by the end of year.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS