Baghdad - The chief of police in the southern Iraqi city of
Basra in an interview published on Tuesday said his officers were
engaged in fighting 'countries, not individuals' and were facing
'religious and ideological terrorism' at its strongest.
Abdel-Jalil Khalaf, who survived seven assassination attempts in
four months, told pan-Arab newspaper al-Hayat that Basra, 550
kilometres south of Baghdad, was enduring security turmoil.
'The problem is that we are fighting countries that have wide
resources, beyond our league,' said Khalaf.
'Even if we succeed in seizing the weapons of the criminals today,
more weapons will flow in tomorrow. Our borders are not under our
command; they're controlled according to the interests of some
politicians in Baghdad and Basra,' he said.
Khalaf told the newspaper that the deteriorating security
situation is driving intellectuals and the middle class to leave the
city.
Robberies, assassinations and terrorist acts are sometimes
coordinated with corrupt police officers, he said.
Khalaf said that the security forces in Basra for instance have
received 4,000 vehicles from the British army in Iraq. However, only
1,335 are accounted for while the rest are missing, most likely
stolen.
'Even our intelligence network is infiltrated with elements from
the militias and armed groups,' said Khalaf.
The police chief had earlier said that he planned to lead a
campaign to protect women's rights in the city, which witnessed
'unprecedented violent acts against women.'
'There are many armed groups who kidnap and kill women in the
city,' Khalaf had said earlier.
Police patrols have been discovering unidentified female bodies
in garbage dumps and remote areas in and around Basra. According to
reports, many of these bodies bore signs of severe torture.
Local statistics show that at least 15 women are killed by
militants in Basra every month for allegedly 'violating religious and
moral rules,' according to Khalaf.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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