Report: Iraq's prime minister furious as U.S. military takes action
Tension has reached a boiling point between the U.S. military and the
government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki. The reason: after months of
waiting for Al Maliki to act, the U.S. military has taken matters in its own
hands to improve the security situation in Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki: ". . . no longer in the game."
AFP/Ali Yussef
Al Maliki has bitterly opposed what he regards as U.S. freedom of action
in operations throughout Iraq, Geostrategy-Direct.com reports. He objects to the recruitment of Sunni tribes
to battle Al Qaida as well as the introduction of former Saddam Hussein
generals to operate key military units.
The Shi'ite prime minister has engaged in shouting matches with U.S.
ambassador Ryan Crocker and even threatened President Bush. But Al Maliki's
biggest problem has been U.S. military commander Gen. David Petraeus, who
has simply ignored the prime minister and runs his own policy in Iraq.
"For more than a year, we waited for Al Maliki to act against the
insurgents and he simply didn't do anything except look the other way while
Shi'ites were getting weapons and support," a U.S. official said. "Now, he's
angry because he's no longer in the game."
Petraeus, with total support from Bush, has worked around Al Maliki. The
U.S. general has concluded that Al Maliki takes orders from Iran and would
never support a genuine effort to stabilize Iraq. Instead, Al Maliki was
committed to bolstering the Shi'ite community in preparation for a U.S.
military withdrawal.
As a result, the U.S. military has tried to generate allies outside of
the Iraq Army, controlled by Al Maliki. Petraeus has recruited thousands of
Sunni tribesmen in operations in Anbar and Baghdad in an operation against
Al Qaida. At one point, Al Maliki has threatened to arm Shi'ite militias.
Petraeus has also delayed U.S. arms deliveries to the Iraq Army until Al
Maliki agrees that it would be used for operations against Iranian-sponsored
Shi'ite militias. The U.S. commander believes Al Maliki has intentionally
refused efforts to
purge the military and police of Iranian operatives.
