THE Iraqi Association of Muslim Scholars has issued a statement on the US’ Baghdad security plan.
It said that under the plan: ‘First, most of the state’s powers have been put in the hands of the Council of Ministers’ Chairmanship, with nothing left for the Defence Ministry.
‘Second, the field units have been authorised to act as they like and to have the final say – a fact which has allowed the occupation forces to stay away from direct field operations.
‘Therefore these forces have turned into supportive forces tasked with carrying out air strikes and artillery shelling if and when needed.
‘This has resulted in the following:
‘1. The security plan has allowed militias to penetrate the security apparatuses, which are already unqualified to run such a conflict and to handle insecurity.
‘All this has contributed to the deteriorating situation of the Iraqi society. The security apparatuses have silently carried out a heinous mass genocide in the Al-Zarkah area near the city of Al-Najaf.
‘They also did the same at Al-Samrah village south of Baghdad on Thursday, 1 February.
‘The village was inhabited by Arabs from Al-Battah, Al-Shurayfat, Al-Khazraj, and Al-Jubur tribes. The residents and animals of the village were annihilated and farms and private cars were destroyed while most of the residents were asleep.
‘The others, who were performing prayer at the village’s mosque, were bombed by warplanes and 14 worshippers were killed.
‘2. Sectarian militias have erected checkpoints in areas they have not reached previously, such as Haifa Street and Al-Amil neighbourhood in Baghdad, with the support of the security forces.
‘They destroyed Al-Aqtab mosque, as well as about 25 houses. When some of the residents of the area tried to protect their mosque, the security forces opened fire on them, killing four and wounding four others, some of them severely.
‘We can say that the security plan in its current shape is aimed at destroying Sunnis, who reject the occupation of the country.’
The head of the AMS Harith Al-has also spoken about the Bush security plan.
He said: ‘This military plan is aimed at taking revenge on the regions that opposed the occupation, and hindered its plan in Iraq.’
He added: ‘The plan does not aim at establishing security either in Baghdad or in Iraq.
‘Its title indicates its substance. If it were for the security of Baghdad, it would have included all the regions that terrorised the citizens and killed them, and destabilised the security in Baghdad and in Iraq.
‘However, we saw that it started with the besieged Al-A’zamiyah district, which has been under siege for more than two years. The siege of Al-A’zamiyah was lifted for a week, and then it was restored for more than two years until it became a ghost district.
‘For two years we have been defending ourselves against the terrorists, the oppressive groups, the militias, and the criminal gangs, which are sponsored by the government and the “occupation” forces, and which they throw at this steadfast and long-suffering district.
‘The Al-A’zamiyah district and its population are well known to all. The aim is nothing other than to trap the regions that oppose the occupation.
‘In Baghdad in particular, the plan targets the Sunnis, because the ruling powers tell the occupation that security is not established because the terrorists reside in these districts.
‘The Interior and Defence Ministries, which are under the control of the ruling parties, send their malicious and false daily cables and reports to the occupation forces that storm these districts. We know that hundreds of the Al-A’zamiyah inhabitants have been arrested.
‘The merchant is arrested in his shop, the worker in his workshop, the young man in his house, and the passerby in the road.
‘They are arrested without discrimination between an elderly, a young man defending this city, or an ordinary simple person who works hard all day to support his children.’
He continued: ‘We have not issued orders; we said to them: Keep calm, keep your discipline, and defend yourselves.
‘When they want to kill you, when they strike at you, or when they fire at you, defend yourselves; otherwise you should not do anything.
‘We want you to stay in your places, in your homes, and in your shops, and let the situation progress in peace if they want peace.
‘However, if they want to kill, destroy, and purge, as they call it, man has the right to defend himself.’
Al Dari added: ‘You know that Iraq has become a field of operations for the US, British, Israeli, Iranian, and other intelligence services.
‘The government pushes its forces and the militias into some districts, and then asks the US occupation forces to help them if they get into problems or if these districts repel them.
‘This happened in the Haifa Street when the government forces attacked that district for three days with the help of the militias.
‘After three days, when they failed to successfully storm the district, the government contacted the occupation forces, which bombed the district with their tanks and aircraft for a full day.
‘The same thing happened in the Al-Fadl district (Al-Rasafah) which was stormed more than 50 times within six months by the police and militia forces; the government summoned the occupation forces, which bombed the district from the land and the sky.
‘I was told that the people of the district shot down an aircraft. Therefore, the Al-Maliki Government is involved in many criminal acts and bloodshed in Baghdad and its suburbs, even all over Iraq.’
