British military command transfers security to the Iraqi army in Basra, but Shia rivalries may mean turbulence to come in this part of Iraq, Nermeen Al-Mufti reports On Sunday, and amid fears of renewed clashes among rival Shia groups, Britain handed over security in the southern city of Basra to local Iraqi authorities. In the past, security handovers in Iraq's southern cities have been followed by assassinations and turbulence. Basra, 580 kilometres south of Baghdad, is unlikely to be an exception. The city is Iraq's only port, produces 70 per cent of the country's oil (and exports 80 per cent of it), and offers opportunities for cross-border trafficking with Iran. Iraqi officials and the Shia parties that control the city vowed to maintain security and cooperate with each other. But reality on the ground appears shaky. Basra police chief General Jalil Khalaf was quoted in The Sunday Times as saying that around 28 rival militia groups, mostly better armed than the police, still roam the city. At least some of these groups are believed to be involved in smuggling arms from Iran. A police officer speaking on condition of anonymity told Al-Ahram Weekly that the killing in Basra of 48 women in the past six months by extremists enforcing strict codes of behaviour in the city illustrates the weakness of Iraqi army forces and the influence of armed militias. Religious extremists have formed committees -- reminiscent of Iran's "corruption on earth" post-1979 Revolution committees -- for "commanding the good and prohibiting the forbidden", which are supervised by militias, according to the officer. Three major Shia groups are competing for control in Basra. One is the Fadila Party of Governor Mohamed Musbeh Al-Waeli. Another is the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) of Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim. The third is the Sadr current, which has pulled out of the government. Both the Fadila and Sadr are opposed to the Daawa Party of Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki. Now these three groups have drawn up their turf. The Fadila Party is in charge of security of the South Oil Company, SCIRI is practically running the official security forces, and the Mahdi Army of Sadr is maintaining a visible presence in the city. One of the leaders of the Sadr current in Basra, Sheikh Ali Al-Saidi, was quoted in the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat as saying that the current signed a document pledging commitment to the law. In return, security services promised not to take action against Sadr followers. "The time of differences between the Basra governor and the Sadr current is over. Our relations are good with both the governor and the Fadila Party," Al-Saidi stated. Basra Governor Al-Waeli struck a note of optimism. "We wish to declare the city of Basra a disarmed governorate. Weapons will be carried exclusively by [Iraqi] security forces. We expect a major economic revival in this city." Lt General Muhan Al-Fariji, commander of Iraqi army operations in Basra, concurred. "The security situation is excellent. We have no gunmen in the streets, no terror and no flashpoints." Britain now has 4,500 troops left in Iraq, less than one-tenth of the force sent during the 2003 invasion. These troops will be stationed in a small airbase on the outskirts of Basra. They are expected to continue training Iraqi troops and carrying out rapid response missions. Britain has lost 173 troops so far in Iraq. In Imara, 160 kilometres south of Baghdad, three car bombs killed or wounded 178 civilians last week. Brigadier General Abdul-Karim Khalaf, Interior Ministry spokesman, told the Weekly that security services in Misan failed to act on intelligence received before the carnage. "The security services in Misan received intelligence indicating that booby-trapped vehicles entered the governorate with intent to attack crowds of civilians in Digla and Baghdad Street, but failed to act on this intelligence," he said. Khalaf added that the vehicles were rigged with explosives at areas close to the governorate and that the perpetrators were all Imara inhabitants. Saleh Al-Mostalek, leader of the National Dialogue Front, has asked parliament to investigate the Imara bombings. Sunni officials accused Iran of masterminding the bombings, but police investigations found nothing to substantiate the accusation. Meanwhile, investigations continue into the assassination of Babel police chief Brigadier General Qays Al-Mamouri. A group of disbanded Iraqi officers accused Shia militias of killing Al-Mamouri for his role in the shelling of Kharg Island during the Iraq-Iran war. Shia militias denied the accusations. Deputy Iraqi Interior Minister Aydin Khaled -- who is in charge of the investigation -- said, without giving further details, that his team has identified the culprits. The Iraqi parliament went into recess because 82 of its members left for pilgrimage, leaving open the matter of amending Article 140 of the constitution. Article 140 calls for a referendum on the future of Kirkuk by the end of 2007. In the north, Turkish planes shelled several Kurdish villages near the Qandil Mountains, where Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) members are allegedly positioned. The US administration said Turkey was exercising its right of self-defence. Iraqis will celebrate Eid Al-Adha Wednesday, though Iraq's most senior Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, told followers to celebrate on Friday. The government promised to pardon 30,000 detainees to mark the occasion. But a meeting held in Baghdad one week ago between SCIRI's Al-Hakim, Prime Minister Al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani and Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani failed to endorse the proposed pardon.
