By Hassan
Al-Wakeel & Ali Latif
March 5, 2007
The Baghdad Security
Plan
The strictest security
measures since the US-led invasion in 2003 have been imposed in Baghdad
as part of the new Security Plan. Of these measures, is the deployment of
40,000 troops on the ground as well as an extension to nightly curfews.
- A significant drop
in execution style killings has been observed subsequent to the implementation
of the plan. The Associated
Press shows that 628 bullet-riddled bodies have been found
around the capital this month, compared to more than 1000 last month,
and over 1300 in the month previous to that.
- This can be attributed
to the apparent decision of Moqtada Al-Sadr to cooperate with the new
plan that has led to him cleansing
the rogue elements of the Mahdi Army, and his clear orders
not to fight the American troops as they roll into the Mahdi strongholds
of Eastern Baghdad. While commentators continue to discuss his actual
whereabouts the reality on the ground suggests that the once disruptive
militia leader has taken a step towards curbing the violence in Baghdad.
Worrying statements
from the Vice-President
- Despite the roll-back
of sectarian militias, the arrest and capture of several death
squad leaders, the halving of extra-judicial executions, and
the agreement to establish a joint US-Iraqi base in Sadr
city, the insurgent attacks
and suicide
bombing campaign streaming out of Sunni strongholds in and
around Baghdad remain unabated. Curiously, Tareq
Al-Hashimi, the Vice-President, has called for the operation
to be abandoned accusing it of focusing only on Sunni areas. In a further
break from reality, Al-Hashimi has called for the abandonment of the current
political process completely, seemingly to imply the reversal of all the
democratic steps the country has taken since the invasion.
An inter-Sunni conflict
on the horizon?
- There has been a
recent outbreak of insurgent attacks against Sunni targets. Two notable
cases include the targeting of a Sunni
Islamic cleric following his denouncement of the insurgency
and the recent killing of six
Sunni men after a meeting with local Shi’ites. While there
have been inter-Sunni flare-ups in the past, these attacks suggest a new
level of conflict between those wanting to join the political process
and those that are set against any democratic future for the country.
- One driver in this
potentially significant split in the Arab Sunni community is execution
of Saddam earlier on this year. The removal of such a powerful symbol
of the past resulted in many finally abandoning the idea of a return to
Baath party rule and has emboldened others that had feared his return
to work towards the future of their community and country.
Cabinet Re-Shuffle
- The Iraqi PM has
once again announced he plans to reshuffle
the cabinet. The reshuffle has been announced several
times and if the PM does not carry it out this time, it will weaken
his credibility to clean out the government from incompetent
and corrupt ministers.
