Iraq: Opposition plans no confidence vote against Prime Minister al-Maliki

Opposition is increasing against the attempts by Prime Minister Maliki to concentrate power and prevent any Sunni opposition. His most dramatic step has been to order the arrest of Vice President al Hashemi a Sunni on charges of supervising a death squad. Opponents say that the move is political and that Maliki is trying to monopolize power.

Dia al-Asadi who leads the al Sadr Ahrar bloc in parliament claims that his bloc is leading the fight for a no confidence vote against al-Maliki even though the bloc is part of a coalition with Maliki.

Al-Asadi said:"Our main concern is that Maliki doesn't have a plan to administer the country. And if he has, then we want to know about it "If he hasn't, then there's a big problem because we are living in a country that needs comprehensive, fast and integrated development."

The Al Sadr bloc was aligned with the government as a way of ensuring the U.S. withdrew from Iraq. Although Al Sadr's group is Shia and has close relations with Iran he often takes a nationalist stance and has reached out to Sunnis to form a unified Iraq. Al Maliki on the other hand seems to be creating a situation with more sectarian violence. For more see this article.

Anbar bombings (Iraq) kill 14 wound many.

Since the US stopped paying the Anbar Sunni militias the situation has been tense and it would seem that Al Qaeda is creeping back into the area. This does not bode well for future peace in the region. There is now conflict between Sunnis in Anbar and the central government that is predominantly Shia as well. This is from antiwar.com.

Iraqi police: Anbar bombings kill 14, wound dozens
At least 14 die, dozens hurt as series of bombings rock Anbar province, Iraq officials say
SAMEER N. YACOUBAP News
Oct 11, 2009 07:14 EST
A series of bombings killed at least 14 people and wounded dozens more Sunday in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi, said police and hospital officials, a worrying sign that violence may be on the rise in this former hotbed of the insurgency.


The first explosion occurred in a parking lot in Ramadi, when a parked car exploded near the police headquarters for Anbar province and the provincial council building, said a local police official.
As police and bystanders rushed to the scene, a second car parked in the vicinity blew up, said the police official. According to the official, a third vehicle exploded about an hour later near the gates to the Ramadi hospital.
Multiple explosions timed to kill rescuers and security forces responding to an earlier bomb were a hallmark of Al-Qaida in Iraq forces during the height of the insurgency.
One bystander, Musaab Ali Mohammed, said he was buying cigarettes from a shop near the police headquarters when he heard a big explosion and smoke billowing out from the parking lot.
"I saw police cars and firefighters, and they started to carry out the wounded and dead. ... Minutes later, a second explosion took place," he said, adding that many of the injured in the second blast appeared to be firefighters. "After that, policemen started to fire in the air and called upon civilians to leave, fearing a third blast."
The police official said a total of 18 people were killed in the three explosions, while an official at the Ramadi hospital said 14 bodies were brought to the hospital.
Conflicting death tolls are common in the aftermath of bombings in Iraq.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Anbar province was the scene of some of the most intense fighting by U.S. troops during the insurgency.
Violence tapered off significantly after local tribes decided to ally with U.S. forces, but bombings such as those Sunday are a worrying sign of the insurgency's resilience in the western province.

Sectarian Strife in Iraq

The entire article is here.

Since the US stopped paying the Awakening militias it would seem some of the Sunnis have returned to opposition and the remnants of Al Qaeda are probably able to survive and even prosper in some areas. Statements such as this going unchallenged in Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia can only make the situation worse.

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Thursday criticised Arab and Muslim countries for their silence on calls by a senior Saudi cleric for Shiite scholars to be killed.
The Iraqi leader made the remarks a day after a massive bomb in the predominantly Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr City in northeastern Baghdad killed 62 people and wounded 150.
"We have observed that many governments have been suspiciously silent on the fatwa provoking the killing" of Shiites, Maliki, who is also Shiite, said in an e-mailed statement.
He was referring to comments made by Mecca Mufti Sheikh Adil al-Kalbani last month to the BBC that "Shiite clerics are infidels."
"The Shiites have no right to be represented in the (Saudi) senior scholarly committee," Kalbani said.
"The Shiite public, it's a matter of discussion (as to whether they are infidels). Shiite clerics are definitely infidels, without question."
According to Islam, it is permitted to kill infidels and not have to pay the victim's family blood money.

Security transfer stalled in Iraq region.

This article is from AP.
The article points out some of the remaining problems that linger just under the surface of a relatively more peaceful situation than has existed for some time in Iraq. There are conflicts between different Sunni groups and between Sunni and Shia still and also there is no solution yet to the borders of Kurdistan or the oil law. Groups seem to be jockeying to better their position for upcoming elections scheduled for the fall.

Analysis: Security transfer stalled in Iraq region
By BRIAN MURPHY – 1 day ago
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's government hopes to bring the entire country under its security control by year's end. But one critical area stands in the way: the western province of Anbar, where the Sunni insurgency was born and later received its first blows from a civil uprising.
The transfer from U.S. military authority in Anbar has become stalled by worries that a hasty move could tempt unrest and reopen rivalries — drawing in the same armed Sunni factions that the U.S. courted to help uproot al-Qaida in Iraq.
The cautious approach also apparently reflects a desire by Washington not to risk any new complications while Iraqi leaders tussle with a host of messy problems, including seeking agreements on holding provincial elections and opening oil fields to foreign investors.
Talks on Anbar — a vast swath stretching from near Baghdad to the western borders — have moved into the slow lane after much fanfare last month when the planned transfer to Iraqi security control was announced and then abruptly put on hold.
The biggest issue in the holdup is the fear that internal political rivalries in Anbar could escalate into open conflict without U.S. troops as a buffer.
On one side is the old-guard political leadership in Anbar, known as the Iraqi Islamic Party. The other emerging power is the Awakening Council movement — the groups that turned against al-Qaida last year and helped stir a wider Sunni backlash against the insurgency across Iraq.
The challenge is how to withdraw American control without either side feeling it is sacrificing influence or facing pressure from the Shiite-led Iraqi military forces that could step in.
The internal intrigue in Anbar is already growing. Both side are jockeying ahead of provincial elections that Iraq hopes to hold this fall.
Further rifts could provide an opening for al-Qaida to try to regain some footing in Anbar, where insurgents still manage to stage infrequent — but significant — attacks.
Last month, a group linked to al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing near Fallujah that killed more than 20 people, including three U.S. Marines and prominent sheiks who had turned against the insurgents. One of the Marines commanded the battalion in the area.
A day after the attack, the U.S. military announced the postponement in the ceremonies to handing over Anbar province to Iraqi security control. The statement said a "new date will be announced as soon as it is made available."
Iraqi officials have hinted at a date sometime after the provincial elections, which are scheduled for Oct. 1.
Sheik Abdul-Karim al-Assal, deputy head of the Anbar Awakening Council, said a security blueprint has been presented to the government. The proposal seeks to bring the Awakening groups into the official security fold.
"We have the ability of maintaining the security of the province along with Iraqi police and army after the hand over," he said.
Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser, has said negotiations on Anbar are at "a delicate stage" and cannot be rushed. Still, on Wednesday's security handover in the southern province of Qadisiyah, he said Iraqi leaders hope to have their military and police in full charge of the entire country by the end of year.
The puzzle ahead is bigger than just Anbar. Several other provinces remain under U.S. security command, including such key regions as Baghdad, the northern city of Mosul and the oil-rich area around Kirkuk.
But Anbar has deep symbolism. The urban battles in 2004 in Anbar's main cities, Fallujah and Ramadi, became rallying points for the insurgency and sent the message to Washington that there would be no quick and clean exit from Iraq.
Anbar is also the heartland of Iraq's Sunnis, who were favored under Saddam Hussein and then pushed to the margins by the Shiite majority that took over after his ouster.
The strains and suspicions aren't just within Anbar.
Brian Fishman, an expert on the Iraqi insurgency at the U.S. Military Academy, said the rising power of the Awakening Councils in Anbar — sometimes called Sons of Iraq — has helped calm the nation but unsettled the Shiite establishment that replaced Saddam.
The Awakening Council movement "controls the ground and serves the function of a local police force" in Anbar, Fishman said.
"They are resistant to (Shiite) control over them, and at the same time, the Shiite parties in Baghdad are mistrustful of the Sons of Iraq," he said.
"But," he added, "there is no way the government of Iraq can extend any meaningful power over time unless they work with the Sons of Iraq."
Brian Murphy has reported from Iraq at various stages since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
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