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<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=5>Maliki's Office Is Seen Behind Purge in
Forces<BR></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff>Some Commanders Had Pursued
Militias</FONT></STRONG><BR>
<P><FONT size=-1>By Joshua Partlow<BR>Washington Post Foreign Service<BR>Monday,
April 30, 2007; A01<BR></FONT></P>
<P></P>
<P>BAGHDAD, April 29 -- A department of the Iraqi prime minister's office is
playing a leading role in the arrest and removal of senior Iraqi army and
national police officers, <FONT color=#0000ff><STRONG>some of whom had
apparently worked too aggressively to combat violent Shiite
militias</STRONG></FONT>, according to U.S. military officials in Baghdad.</P>
<P>Since March 1, at least 16 army and national police commanders have been
fired, detained or pressured to resign; at least nine of them are Sunnis,
according to U.S. military documents shown to The Washington Post.</P>
<P>Although some of the officers appear to have been fired for legitimate
reasons, such as poor performance or corruption, several were considered to be
among the better Iraqi officers in the field. The dismissals have angered U.S.
and Iraqi leaders who say the Shiite-led government is sabotaging the military
to achieve sectarian goals.</P>
<P>"Their only crimes or offenses were they were successful" against the Mahdi
Army, a powerful Shiite militia, said Brig. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard, commanding
general of the Iraq Assistance Group, which works with Iraqi security forces.
"I'm tired of seeing good Iraqi officers having to look over their shoulders
when they're trying to do the right thing."</P>
<P>The issue strikes at a central question about the fledgling government of
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki: whether it can put sectarian differences aside
to deliver justice fairly. During earlier security crackdowns in Baghdad, Maliki
was criticized for failing to target Shiite militias, in particular the Mahdi
Army, which is led by hard-line Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, one of Maliki's
political supporters. Before the most recent Baghdad security plan was launched
in February, Maliki repeatedly declared he would target militants regardless of
their sect.</P>
<P>Iraqi government officials denied that security force commanders have faced
political pressure and said that Maliki is committed to targeting all criminals
equally.</P>
<P>Sadiq al-Rikabi, a political adviser to Maliki, said the first two months of
the Baghdad security plan show that Maliki "is not working on any agenda but the
national agenda."</P>
<P>"The Baghdad security plan is working on a military and professional basis
without any regard for any sect or ethnic group or any political factors," he
said.</P>
<P>But some U.S. military officials say politics remains among the greatest
hindrances to the development of the Iraqi security forces -- a top priority for
Americans in Iraq. Col. Ehrich Rose, chief of the Military Transition Team with
the 4th Iraqi Army Division, who has spent several years working with foreign
armies, said the Iraqi officer corps is riddled with divergent loyalties to
different sects, tribes and political groups.</P>
<P>"The Iraqi army, as far as capability goes, I'd stack them up against just
about any Latin American army I've dealt with," he said. "However, the
politicization of their officer corps is the worst I've ever seen."</P>
<P>At the national level, some U.S. officials are increasingly concerned about
the Office of the Commander in Chief, a behind-the-scenes department that works
on military issues for the prime minister.</P>
<P>One adviser in the office, Bassima Luay Hasun al-Jaidri, has enough influence
to remove and intimidate senior commanders, and her work has "stifled" many
officers who are afraid of angering her, a senior U.S. military official said.
U.S. commanders are considering installing a U.S. liaison officer in the
department to better understand its influence.</P>
<P>"Her office harasses [Iraqi commanders] if they are nationalistic and fair,"
said the U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity out of concern over
publicly criticizing the Iraqi government. "They need to get rid of her and her
little group."</P>
<P>A senior Iraqi army official said he plans to seek assistance from Gen. David
H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, in limiting the office's
interference in the daily duties of the military. "We need his help to stop
these noises," the official said on condition of anonymity because of the
issue's sensitivity.</P>
<P>Officials close to Maliki denied that Jaidri or her office were influencing
or removing leaders in the security forces. Iraqi government spokesman Ali
al-Dabbagh said no political pressure was being placed on any military or police
officers, and that U.S. military officials were "exaggerating" Jaidri's role in
the government. "She has no connection with the Ministry of Defense," he
said.</P>
<P>Jaidri could not be reached for comment Sunday.</P>
<P>But according to documents and U.S. officials, political interference appears
to have affected some of the most senior Iraqi officers.</P>
<P>Maj. Gen. Abdulla Mohammed Khamis al-Dafi is a Sunni who commands the 9th
Iraqi Army Division, based in Baghdad, and is responsible for eastern Baghdad,
home to such predominantly Shiite districts as Sadr City. On April 23, he told
U.S. military officials he was determined to resign because of repeated
"interference" from the prime minister's staff, according to portions of a
report on the situation that was read to The Washington Post.</P>
<P>Maj. Gen. Husayn Jasim Abd al-Awadi is a Shiite who was "assessed as
combating militia influences" in his work with the national police, but three
Iraqi generals said he would be replaced and all "agreed that Dr. Bassima played
a role in the decision to fire" him, according to a separate U.S. military
document marked secret.</P>
<P>Another national police battalion commander, Col. Nadir Abd Al-Razaq Abud
al-Jaburi, has been "known to pass accurate and actionable intelligence" about
the Mahdi Army, the report said, adding that U.S. military officials describe
him "as professional, non-sectarian, and focused on gaining support of the
populace."</P>
<P>Yet he was detained April 6 under an Interior Ministry warrant for allegedly
supporting Sunni insurgents, the document said.</P>
<P>The report also outlines the case of Lt. Col. Ahmad Yousif Ibrahim Kjalil, a
Sunni battalion commander in the 6th Iraqi Army Division, based in Baghdad. He
was allegedly fired by Jaidri but reinstated with another general's help. "He
eventually resigned after at least five attempts on his life and one attempt on
his children," the report said.</P>
<P>Col. Ali Fadil Amran Khatab al-Abedi, a Sunni who leads the 2nd Battalion,
5th Brigade of the 6th Iraqi Army Division, was ordered arrested by the prime
minister's office on April 17, the report said. Lt. Col. Emad Kahlif Abud
al-Mashadani, a Sunni commander with the 1st Iraqi National Police Division, was
detained April 15, the report said.</P>
<P>After the massive bombing in Baghdad's Sadriya market this month, Maliki
ordered the arrest and investigation of a Shiite army battalion commander
responsible for security in the area. A U.S. official said the commander was
subsequently released and has fled.</P>
<P>A spokesman for the Interior Ministry, which oversees the national police,
said his agency removes only officers who have committed crimes or whose
political and sectarian leanings influence their work. An estimated 14,000
Interior Ministry employees have been purged for criminal behavior or ties to
insurgents or militias, according to the spokesman, Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf
Qanani.</P>
<P>"Any officer whose allegiance to a political party or sect we have proved
will be kicked out of the ministry," he said. "Working for a Sunni or Shiite
sect, this is not appropriate at the Ministry of Interior. One should work only
for Iraq."</P>
<P><I>Special correspondent Saad al-Izzi in Baghdad contributed to this
report</I></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>