NSN Iraq Daily Update 2/28/08

AWAKENING GROUPS THREATEN TO TURN AGAINST THE UNITED STATES

"Now, there is no cooperation with the Americans... We have stopped fighting al-Qaeda" the Awakening commander in the insurgent stronghold in Baqubah, the capital of restive Diyala province, said. U.S.-backed Sunni volunteer forces, who play a vital role in reducing violence, are increasingly frustrated with the U.S. military and the Iraqi government over a lack of recognition and insufficient support. Since Feb. 8, thousands of fighters in restive Diyala province have left their posts in order to pressure the government and its American backers to replace the province's Shi'a police chief. Yesterday, the leaders warned they would disband completely if their demands were not met. Inadvertent U.S. killings of Awakening fighters -- five such incidents have occurred in the past three weeks -- are adding to the frustrations. In Babil province, south of Baghdad, fighters have refused to man their checkpoints after U.S. soldiers killed several comrades in mid-February in circumstances that remain in dispute. Attacks against Awakening fighters are rising, but the growing threats have not been matched with added resources. An Awakening group leader north of Baghdad, and former commander of the insurgent group the Islamic Army, said, "We need weapons. We need vehicles. We do not even have gas for the few cars we have. When we joined, the Americans promised to provide all necessities. Now we know those were only words." [Washington Post, 2/28/08]

"We'll all be patient for another two months. If nothing changes, then we'll suspend and quit," he said. "Then we'll go back to fighting the Americans." The Awakening leaders also reject a U.S.-initiated plan that they say offers too few Sunni fighters the opportunity to join Iraq's army and police, and warn that low salaries and late payments are pushing experienced members to quit. The predominantly Sunni Awakening forces, dubbed the Sons of Iraq or Concerned Local Citizens by the U.S. military, are paid roughly $10 a day by the U.S. to guard and patrol their areas. Thousands more unpaid volunteers have joined out of tribal and regional fealties. But tensions between the Sunni groups, the Shi'a government, and the U.S. are at their highest since the plan was implemented in Faluja in late 2006. An Awakening leader in the city of Baiji, 130 miles north of Baghdad said in the past two months, 20 of his fighters have quit. Many felt their monthly salary, which they claim they have not received in two months, was no longer worth the risk of fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq. The commander does not expect the Shi'a-led Iraqi government, which fears the Sunni Awakening movement could one day turn against it, to offer assistance or embrace his fighters. He says he applied six times to join the Iraqi army and police, but was never accepted. [Washington Post, 2/28/08]

PROVINICIAL ELECTIONS BENCHMARK VETOED

Iraqi government leaders on Wednesday rejected a law requiring nationwide elections by the fall, sidetracking a measure that U.S. officials consider a key benchmark for political reconciliation in Iraq. Parliament passed the legislation two weeks ago. The veto by Iraq's presidency council was an unexpected setback. Lawmakers will now have to reconsider the measure, which they agreed to only as part of a three-law package reached after weeks of political wrangling. The dispute became so divisive that some called for the dissolution of parliament. The two other laws -- Iraq's 2008 budget and an amnesty that could apply to thousands of detainees in Iraqi prisons -- were approved by the presidency council. This is a huge disappointment," said the Shiite deputy speaker of parliament, Khalid al-Attiyah, through an aide. 'The political blocs all agreed on this law before. Now we will have to try to start all the deals and agreements from the beginning.' [Washington Post, 2/28/08]

PM AL-MALIKI IS DETACHED FROM REALITY

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki claimed on Thursday "National reconciliation among Iraqis has succeeded. We have succeeded in eliminating sectarianism." Maliki was speaking to millions of Shi'a faithful at a religious ceremony in the central shrine city of Karbala. He urged the people to help chase out Islamist extremist fighters from their strongholds in the northern regions of Mosul, Kirkuk and Diyala and then "we will focus on rebuilding the country." Around nine million Shi'a converged on Karbala for the Arbaeen holiday. They were frequently targeted by militants, leaving scores dead and injured. [AFP, 2/28/08]

TENSIONS CONTINUE ALONG THE IRAQ-TURKEY BORDER

Gates puts mid-March limit on Turkish raids. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates urged Turkish leaders on Wednesday to abandon their invasion of guerrilla-controlled lands in the northernmost reaches of Iraq by mid-March. "It's very important that the Turks make this operation as short as possible and then leave," Mr. Gates told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday as he prepared to leave for Turkey. "I measure quick in terms of days, a week or two, something like that, not months," Mr. Gates said. It was the first time he had demanded a strict timeline for the Turkish operation to end. However, publicly at least, the Turks show no sign of letting up. Ahmet Davutoglu, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Wednesday that there was no "timetable" for ending the operation. Meeting in Baghdad with Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, Mr. Davutoglu warned that the operation would not stop until P.K.K. bases inside Iraq were "eliminated." American and Iraqi leaders seem increasingly worried that fighting along the Turkey-Iraq border could widen into a broader and bloodier conflict. [NY Times, 2/28/08]

Comments

[LizM]

Oh my...what are we to do? It's really too bad, isn't it...that nobody has a comprehensive and viable strategy to promote a sustainable political settlement in Iraq.

Wait a second...somebody does! When will you update us on that?