by Haider Ajina

Leniency on Mosul operation would strengthen gunmen cells

Baghdad, May 13, (VOI) – The Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front welcomed the military operation being conducted in the city of Mosul for four days now, while an IAF spokesman stressed that any leniency on the security side would awaken “dormant cells” of armed groups.”We in the IAF bloc welcome the military operation that was launched in Mosul to clear of gunmen. We hope this operation would help terminate the presence of armed groups in the city,” Saleem Abdullah told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI). Abdullah, however, urged the security forces to professionally discriminate between the gunmen and the innocent civilians.

“According to information, large numbers of gunmen have escaped after the commencement of military operations to the city of Hamrin and Upper Mosul towns,” Abdullah said. On Sunday, the Ninewa operations commander said that Iraqi forces conducted military operations against 92 targets in different locations throughout Mosul city. “We reached 92 targets in different places in Mosul , 60 of them wanted by security authorities, with the cooperation of the city’s residents,” Lt. General Riad Jalal Tawfiq said in a press conference. Earlier on Saturday, Tawfiq said that the military operation to track down gunmen of al-Qaeda network in the province has started after “huge” military reinforcements arrived from the Iraqi capital Baghdad .

“The operation, codenamed Za’eer al-Assad Fi Saulat al-Haq (Lion’s Roar in Rightful Assault), is focused on hunting down the al-Qaeda remnants in Ninewa as well as misled terrorist groups and outlaws,” Tawfiq said in a statement he read out to reporters at the Ninewa Operations Command headquarters.

In late January 2008, two powerful bombings occurred on al-Pepsi street in Zanjili area, western Mosul, leaving more than 205 people killed or wounded, prompting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to move security forces to Ninewa and form a “crisis cell” to run a “decisive battle against terrorist groups” in the province.

Mosul , the capital of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad .

The IAF, the largest bloc representing Arab Sunnis in Iraq ‘s political process, is composed of three main political organizations and has 44 out of a total 275 seats in the Iraqi parliament, the third largest after the Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC)’s 83 seats and the Kurdistan Coalition (KC)’s 55 seats.

The IAF withdrew its five ministers and deputy premier from Maliki’s government in August 2007, citing its reasons as being the government’s refusal to meet its demands. It linked its return to have some demands, including the release of detainees from Iraqi jails, met

On April 20, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said that “obstacles” impeding the IAF from re-joining the cabinet were removed, and it submitted names of nominees to occupy ministerial posts made vacant by its withdrawal.

The following is my translation of an article in Iraq ’s Almada on May 13 08

Muqtada Alsadar congratulates the agreement to stop violence.

A spoke person for the Sadar Party announces that Muqtada is congratulating the agreement reached with the ruling alliance (the United Iraqi Alliance) to stop the violence in Sadar City . Sheik Salah Alubeidi spokesman for the Sadar movement told the France Press that Muqtada announced his congratulations on the agreement and considered it a binding foundation of the official relationship between the two parties. The agreement was confirmed by Member of Parliament Haider Alabadi. The agreement contained 14 points to end the crisis in Sadar City . Alabadi added that sub points were added (by mutual agreement) to the 14 main points, including stopping disinformation campaign against the government in return for the formation of a special committee to review complaints against government security forces. The main points include the deployment of government forces throughout Sarad city with in 4 days. As well as forbidding any resistance against government forces and assisting the government in catching outlaws. The PM Alamliki will award damages and assistance to residence of Sadar city to help them survive during the intensive rebuilding of the neighborhood. A spokesman for the government Ali Aldabagh announced the government’s support or this agreement. Spokesman for MNF –Iraq Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll confirmed the negotiations and announced that MNF has documents proving that Iran is meddling in Iraqi affairs.

My comments,

The Iraqi Accordance front is a coalition of a number of Arab Sunni parties. Their endorsement and support of the Iraqi Prim minter’s operation to clear Musul of terrorists is showing good cooperation amongst political factions. The IAF’s call to for non leniency in dealing with these terrorist and outlaws (who are mostly Sunni in this part of Iraq ) demonstrates that Iraqi politician are looking beyond sectarian loyalties and focusing on what is best for Iraq . This is a growing trend amongst many of political parties and alliances in the Iraqi political arena.