Iraqi Army Arrests Sunni Tribal Leader

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat-The Iraqi army staged a daring dawn raid on a Salah al-Din province village yesterday, arresting one of the leaders of the popular protests that have struck the region. According to security sources, an Iraqi Fourth Division army unit carried out this helicopter raid on the village of al-Naima, east of Tikrit, arresting Sheikh Mishal Nawaf al-Hassan, along with two of his sons, early morning yesterday. Sheikh al-Hassan is a Shammar tribal leader based out of Tikrit and one of the leaders of the popular protests and sit-ins taking place in Salah al-Din province.

Sheikh al-Hassan’s arrest comes one day after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki took the decision to withdraw the official protection detail from Iraqi Awakening Council leader Ahmed Abu Risha due to his participation in the Ramadi sit-in.

At a time when nation-wide protests have entered their second month, with today being dubbed the “Friday of the Martyrs of Fallujah”, there is growing concern on Iraq’s political scene-including within the National Alliance-that there is no end in sight. These protesters are largely focused on Iraq’s five northern and western provinces.

For his part, State of Law [SLC] coalition MP, Sadiq al-Labban, told Asharq Al-Awsat, “The important thing that must be asked here, regardless of whether these demands are legitimate or not, is: How long can these demonstrations last?”   He added, “If the argument is that many of these demands should have been implemented without demonstrations or that they should be implemented more quickly, then this is all well and good, but everybody should be aware that it is not just one specific region or community that is experiencing injustice, rather this injustice in terms of implementing decision is something that affects everybody.”  MP al-Labban asserted that, “Much of what has been achieved has begun to raise questions in the western street (a reference to the Shi’ites) regarding how can some illegitimate demands have begun to be implemented while we-in central and southern Iraq-have 80,000 cases relating to the victims of the former regime, of which only 30,000 have been completed. This means that 50,000 cases remain, and those who have raised these cases are still suffering as a result of delay and bureaucracy.”  He added, “Continuing to raise the ceiling of demands and failure to respond to the government’s proposals can only lead to one result. This means that their hidden objective is not to implement these legitimate demands but other issues that are related to what is happening in the region, and this is something that will represent a future threat (to Iraq).”   Al-Labban also confirmed that, “The demonstrations should not turn into a means to achieve objectives at the expense of national unity and the future of Iraq.

For its part, Iraq’s Ahrar parliamentary bloc-which represents the Sadr movement-announced that leader Moqtada al-Sadr had issued directives to the movement’s ministers to refuse to take up the ministerial portfolio’s held by Iraqiya bloc ministers, should this be offered to them. Ahrar bloc leader, Baha Araji, said, “What the Iraqi Prime Minister has done in terms of dismissing the Iraqiya bloc ministers is illegal.”  He added, “Freezing a minister’s portfolio, or a minister not attending cabinet sessions, does not mean that this minister has left his position, particularly as the issue of ministries is a professional one.”  Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Araji said, “Sadr movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr told the Ahrar bloc ministers not to take up these ministerial portfolios should they be offered . . . because we are part of the solution.”