Brits appoint Saddam's Enforcer to police Basra

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
1

Saddam’s evil regime still has it’s uses after all:

Baathist appointed to police Basra

From David Charter at Central Command, Qatar

BRITISH officials were compelled to defend their choice of a former brigadier-general in Saddam Hussein’s army to help to restore order in Basra yesterday as looting continued in the southern city.
Efforts to restore order required the appointment of Sheikh Muzahim Mustafa Kanan Tameemi because he was a tribal elder who held sway over large parts of the population, a senior official at Centcom said.

Sheikh Tameemi — known until yesterday as the secret sheikh — was just the first of a “council of elders” from all parts of the community being formed to oversee civil government in Basra, the official added.

His appointment looked like backfiring on Thursday when British troops had to calm a mob outside his house that was accusing the sheikh of being a Saddam supporter.

But the slow process of restoring normality to Basra continued that night when an initial meeting of the council agreed the terms for the inaugural patrol of the city’s own civil police today. The force numbers about 1,000 and officials hope that several hundred will join unarmed patrols accompanied by British forces. The council also named new heads of police, traffic police and civil defence departments.

**The lawlessness across Iraq, initially welcomed by coalition forces as a sign of the regime’s demise, is now causing serious problems for the troops. In one incident five bank robbers were killed by British troops in a gunfight on Thursday that left an Irish Guardsman seriously wounded. **

Sheikh Tameemi, 50, is a former Baath party member — like almost every prominent member of Iraqi society. He is said to be a Shia, but also to be the leader of a large, mostly Sunni tribe with members in neighbouring Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

His brother was killed in 1994, according to relatives, after secret police took him away. His body turned up with a bullet wound in the head and he is widely considered to have been a victim of the Hussein regime.

The British official added: “We have asked Sheikh Tameemi to identify similar people from across the ethnic spectrum in the region to form a council of elders so they can all use their influence on different groups.

“You are not going to find anyone in the country who is relatively senior who has not got some sort of linkage with the regime in some sort of way. But all his links are historic.

“He is clearly not to everyone’s liking but you are not going to find one person around whom this whole community will coalesce. He has influence over a sphere of people which is why we are recruiting others from other spheres.”

**News of the apointment caused a near riot by members of the rival Sadoon tribe, according to The Washington Post, whose reporter saw them throwing stones at Sheik Tameemi’s home in the suburb of Zubair.

A doctor who watched the protest said: “We are seeing the future of Iraq right here, and it is not good.”**

2

This will be good.

As stated on Al Jazeera:

At the Pentagon, Secretary Rumsfeld said the US does feel an obligation to assist in providing security: "We're looking for the police" in Iraqi towns and villages, he added. Concerns expressed before the war look likely to be fulfilled, those best able to police Iraq now might be those who have had the most experience – namely Ba’athists and supporters of the old regime.

Calling into question, the logic of much of the war.

Makes real sense to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3

Plea for Saddam police to help keep the peace, James Meek and Richard Norton-Taylor
The Guardian, 12 April 2003

New Iraq will have to rely on old regime, Ian Black and Richard Norton-Taylor
The Guardian, 9 April 2003

4

The anti-war majority is being proved right so soon, as it was long claimed the Anglo-American idea of "regime change" was just to get rid of Saddam and his close cohorts (who had outlived their usefulness) and leave his baathist regime in charge. One of the main aims in this ploy is to keep the Shia Muslim majority of Iraq, predominant in the south, divided so that it does not become a cohesive force to rule over all Iraq - much like it divided the majority group in Afghanistan, and to keep the Kurds of the north under control, lest they upset Turkey. The end result of this is that the same old order i.e. Baathists who are dominated by minority groups like the Sunni Muslim and Christian Arabs will continue to rule. But this is doomed to fail with serious consequences for Iraq's survival as one state, and repurcussions for all of it's neighbours.

5

**

Very accurate and well-expressed summary, Malik. :k:

Nothing like hiring a bunch of people you used to accuse of committing unspeakable atrocities and calling them “perfectly decent people”. The hypocrisy and speedy backtrack, even by any government’s standards, is breathtaking.
Baath officials asked to rebuild Iraq, BBC, 13 April 2003

Baath Party members who were loyal to Saddam Hussein will take part in the reconstruction of Iraq, according to Geoff Hoon. “They had a system of administration that will deliver,” the [British] defence secretary told The Observer. And **many were “perfectly decent people who have not participated in any atrocities”.

There has already been anger in the southern city of Basra after the man chosen by the British forces there to run the city was revealed to be a Baath Party member**.

Mr Hoon told the newspaper: “It is understandable people that have lived in dread and terror of this organisation should go and kick in a few doors.” But he added: “We have to ensure it does not get out of hand.”

6

sigh.......the hypocrisy. They'll use them in their time of need, and then get rid of them when they're no longer needed, and call them war criminals again.

7

And yet more signs of Regime continunation…

Baath officials backed to rebuild Iraq](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2943629.stm)

8

Basra still seething, even more at the “regime change” in Basra.

Basra fury over return of ‘killer’ police force](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,5944-647063,00.html)

9

ah. From this article, a British major quoted: “It will take time for people to get used to this idea, but whatever excesses this police force made in the past, we can promise it won’t happen now.” How precisely do they expect the residents of Basra to have any faith whatsoever in these security forces that just a few weeks ago, were being villifed and demonized as helpers of the Ba’ath party? What has changed except for superficial characteristics such as the name? The Ba’ath party has not been ousted, in fact former Ba’ath party members are being actively recruited - by the British and the Americans - to “help” in reconstructing Iraq. Where’s the logic behind hiring the very individuals you have spent more than a decade demonizing so successfully? How can that inspire anything but fear in the hearts of the Iraqi people who have to face these former Ba’ath party officials each day?

10

*The Ba'ath party has not been ousted, in fact former Ba'ath party members are being actively recruited - by the British and the Americans - to "help" in reconstructing Iraq. *

Iraqi people are now quickly realising especially in places like Basra that there has not been a regime change, rather a regime adjustment. The leadership has been replaced and allowed to escape, yet everyone else i.e. the Baath party remains very much in control.