Bush's new plan, and tough words from Maliki, assure Iraqis that more violence is ahead, writes Nermeen Al-Mufti Between Bush's new strategy and the continued violence in the country, Iraq is bracing for the worst. The new security plan in Baghdad started with security forces cutting off Haifa Street from the rest of the capital. This street was the scene of many violent clashes before. Shia militia were said to be planning to evict Sunnis from this particular section of Baghdad. A source close to Iraqi armed groups said that Shia militia have shelled this section of the capital and attempted to attack several mosques there. The Shia militia, he added, were trying to control a nearby bridge to facilitate their movement from Al-Rasafa to Al-Karkh in Baghdad. The US-backed Iraqi army repulsed the militia. A government source claimed that National Guard patrols and the United States army were fired at from several buildings in the area. In the ensuing retaliation, the army killed 50 "insurgents" and arrested "terrorists" including several Syrians and one Sudanese. Locals contradict the story, saying that the detained Sudanese was a janitor who has been working in a compound since 1984. They claim that 30 civilians were killed in the shelling, including women and children. Iraqi parliamentarian Mohammad Al-Deini told Al-Ahram Weekly that dozens were killed or wounded in US shelling of villages situated to the east of Baquba on the Iraqi-Iranian border. US and Iraqi forces, he said, were still imposing a blockade on the villages. Al-Deini has disclosed incidents of torture in Iraqi Interior Ministry prisons, releasing films and documents as evidence. He facilitated the production of a film on death squads that was aired on Britain's Channel 4 TV. He left Iraq recently to Amman to obtain an entry visa to the UK. The British Foreign Office turned down his visa application, he told the Weekly over the telephone. This happened although Al-Deini was invited by British organisations to speak about the situation in Iraq. Hours before US President Bush declared his new strategy for Iraq, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki called, in a television address, on Al-Mahdi Army, led by Shia leader Moqtada Al-Sadr, to lay down its weapons. Subsequently, sources at the Iraqi Interior Ministry said that US forces shelled homes in Sadr City, the stronghold of Al-Mahdi Army militia. Political analyst Saad Kamel believes that Maliki is coming under US pressure to confront the gunmen, especially Al-Mahdi Army, whose leader Moqtada Al-Sadr has close ties with Maliki. News reports indicate that the Americans are frustrated by the inability of the prime minister to disarm the militia. Former US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, speaking in a recent interview with the CNN, said that Maliki had two months to finish the job. In his speech, Maliki said that no militia, regardless of sectarian affiliation, would be allowed to operate. The state, he promised, would "confront" armed groups. The prime minister reiterated his position in recent a meeting with Hillary Clinton, who visited Iraq for one day. Bush's new plan involves more training for the Iraqi army, more US troops to deploy in Baghdad and Al-Anbar, and a clampdown on the militia. In his speech, the US president indicated that US and Iraqi forces would be allowed to enter Baghdad's suburbs. That was taken by many to mean that the Iraqi government must bring Sadr City under control. Moqtada Al-Sadr has 30 members in parliament, all of whom pledged to suspend their participation in the political process. But a source close to Al-Sadr told the Weekly that the 30 intended to take part in parliamentary discussions of an oil investment bill. The bill would give three major US and UK companies the right to work in Iraqi oil for 30 years, during which period the companies would turn over 75 per cent of their revenue to their respective countries. The Sadr group is going to oppose the bill, the source said. In Kirkuk, several Turkoman figures and buildings have been targeted in a spate of car bombings. Turhan Ketene, political adviser of the Turkoman National Movement, says that the Kurds are trying to change the demography of Kirkuk ahead of a referendum on self- determination. Turkey and Egypt want the referendum to be postponed, fearing that it may instigate ethnic cleansing. The two major Kurdish parties have already brought in 600,000 Kurds to Kirkuk. Meanwhile, Kurdish armed groups are said to be threatening Turkoman businessmen, telling them to leave town or pay hefty protection fees. Of those who refuse to pay, several have had their companies bombed. The number of Iraqis requesting political asylum in other countries, meanwhile, has reached its highest level ever, according to the UN. Although the number of daily civilian victims has dropped slightly in Baghdad, every day police collect 45 bodies on average from the streets, most with bullet wounds and signs of torture. In the increasingly segregated capital, the Sunnis and Shias of Baghdad are learning which streets are safe and which must be avoided.
