Basra - Leaders in Basra's Governing Council said Tuesday
that Shiite scholars and religious leaders loyal to Grand Ayatollah
Ali al-Sistani are forming their own operations room to combat
violence and targeted assassinations, television reports said.
The calls for the formation of a new operations room comes in line
with accusations against Basra's Police Chief Abdel-Jalil Khalaf,
current head of Basra's official operations room that handles
security issues in the oil-rich city.
Describing Khalaf as 'inefficient, the Governing Council has
already called for his dismissal, a successor to be found and for the
dissolution of the operations room.
Last Friday, Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Karim Bashir and Sheikh Ahmed al-
Jabani, two of spiritual leader al-Sistani's representatives in
Basra, were killed while Sheikh Adnan al-Jabani, survived an attempt
on his life seriously injured.
Earlier, other aides and leaders of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi
Council were attacked in a similar fashion.
Khalaf has rejected any blame and told al-Hayat newspaper in
statements published Tuesday that his post is legitimate, that he
will not leave office and that he enjoys the support of the central
government of Baghdad.
Khalaf was not handed this position through a count of votes, but
was directly appointed by the Iraqi cabinet, a notion which might
have increased his unpopularity among the local leaders, according to
observers.
Putting the responsibility of violence on his shoulders 'is not
rational,' Khalaf said in response to leaders calling for him to
leave. He added that he was disappointed that the Governing Council
is not cooperative.
A source in Basra told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that National
Security Minister Sharwan al-Waeili had expressed support for Khalaf
a day earlier, vowing to send extra military troops into Basra to
help control security.
The tension between Khalaf and the Governing Council has been
brewing for over three months, the source added.
The developments on Tuesday have come a few months after the
Governing Council of Basra fired Governor Mohammed Misbah al-Waeili,
a leader of the Fadhila party.
They had also publicly accused him of failing to quell violence in
Basra. Al-Waeili defied their decision and stayed in office.
However, observers said that Shiite groups like Abdel-Aziz al-
Hakim's Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council had intentionally campaigned
against al-Waeili after his party quit the ruling coalition led by
the Daawa and al-Hakim's party. Al-Waeili had also outrun al-Hakim's
candidate for the same position by only one vote.
In the mostly Shiite Basra, even Shiite parties are divided among
each other and are said to be competing for a greater stake in
domestic politics and Basra's vast oil wealth. Groups vie to appoint
leaders in local councils and the police force with a guaranteed
allegiance to them.
Observers said that the recent killings could more likely be
linked to an ongoing political power struggle than a security crisis
in the city.
In relation to the turmoil in the city, Basra-based Iraqi
lawmakers had earlier called on Iraq's interior minister Jawad al-
Boulany to resign after failing to curb violence and prevent the
series of assassination attempts on important Shiite religious
scholars.
Angry deputies for Basra had slammed the minister saying that he
'has done nothing,' and that Basra and surrounding areas were 'on
fire.' The Basra incidents may lead to the questioning of the
minister in parliament but this has not been confirmed.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
Your Talkback on this Story