Baghdad, December 11: Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki accused rivals on Thursday of stoking political rows that have put Iraq’s security at risk, as US Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived on a surprise visit.
During questioning in parliament, Al-Maliki said Iraq’s security forces needed to be de-politicized, just days after coordinated bombings rocked Baghdad and killed 127 people.
“Now if I detain Osama Bin Laden, some people will ask, ‘Why did you arrest him? He is a mujahid (religious fighter),’” Al-Maliki reportedly said of disputes between political groups that he said were causing violence.
He spoke in a closed-door meeting, and his remarks were quoted by Shiite MP Samira Al-Mussawi, who was present.
“All of the recent crime is because of political and sectarian differences. I call on Parliament to issue a decision to purify the security services from anyone who belongs to any political party, including my party.”
Al-Maliki also accused rival groups of blocking the appointment of a new intelligence chief, Mussawi told reporters. “The intelligence services cannot appoint any chief because there is no political consensus on it,” the premier said. “Every party wants to be in charge of this service.” “This security organization is handicapped because there is no consensus” The post has been vacant for several months. Its last occupant, Maj. Gen. Abdullah Sherwani, left after twin bombings against the foreign and finance ministries in Baghdad in August.
For his part, Falah Shanshal, the chair of the justice committee, told AFP “there is huge anger in Parliament because of the security violations. We want to know who was negligent, in order to punish them and replace them with someone else. Today’s session is to understand the failures, to stop the security violations and to find a solution because the blood of Iraqis is being shed every day.”
On Wednesday, Maliki sacked Baghdad’s security chief over the blasts, which also wounded 450 people and undermined government claims of improving security ahead of March elections.
Meanwhile, on a surprise visit to Baghdad, Gates was to offer “whatever assistance the US military can provide the Iraqis as they deal with the aftermath of this attack,” Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said. Large-scale attacks like the one claimed by Al-Qaeda on Tuesday are “sort of a desperate attempt to stay relevant and to try to destabilise the government of Iraq” and relaunch sectarian violence, Morrell said. However, he added that he did not “think anybody believes that it will be successful.”
Gates will meet with President Jalal Talabani and later with Maliki, and will have dinner with senior US military commanders, the spokesman added.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attacks.
——Agencies