April 18 2006

Violence in IraqSunni politicians on Tuesday condemned government forces who battled guerillas in a Baghdad neighbourhood, feeding fears that rising sectarian violence and Shia militia activity may be pushing Iraq’s Sunni population toward supporting the insurgency.

"What happened in Adhamiya is an evil act by an armed militia backed by security and government operatives," said Dhafer al-Ani, a member of the Sunni-led Iraqi Consensus Front, the largest Sunni block in parliament. Mr Ani was one of several politicians who on Tuesday condemned an early Monday morning raid by Iraqi security forces into the Sunni district that was attacked by rebels.

The prominent Iraqi newspaper al-Zaman claimed that the "people of Adhamiya had foiled a night assault" by a '’death squad’’ whose members were disguised as police" and quoted members of the "Adhamiya Defense Committees."

Reporters trying to get into the district said US and Iraqi forces had sealed off the area yesterday, while witnesses claimed insurgents were again being deployed on rooftops in possible preparation for another round of fighting.

There were reports that at least one civilian was killed and five others wounded in the fighting.

It is significant that the street fighting in Adhamiya has been portrayed, by the Iraqi media and Sunni leaders, as neighbourhood self-defence rather than an insurgent attack on security forces. It could strengthen the insurgents’ claim to be fighting for the Sunni population as a whole.

It comes after months of accusations from Sunni leaders that the Shia-dominated government is sanctioning death squad activity, both by the security forces and by independent Shia militias such as the Mahdi Army or Badr Forces.

The increasing perception of Sunni neighbourhoods that they are under siege has fed fears Sunnis will turn to insurgent groups to organise local defence forces, and that Baghdad will be partitioned into zones controlled by sectarian militias.

The Adhamiya clashes come amid a new dispute between Iraqi leaders who are still trying to form a government more than four months after December 15 parliamentary elections.

The delay in forming a government is seen as a major obstacle to restoring order.

Iraq’s main political blocks are holding a series of internal meetings to agree upon candidates for key cabinet positions. Although it is comparatively minor compared to the more acrimonious battle over whether or not incumbent prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari should retain his post, it suggests that politicians still have numerous hurdles to overcome if they are to reach consensus over the make-up of a cabinet.

Meanwhile, Shia leaders met on Tuesday to discuss alternatives to Mr Jaafari, whose candidacy is opposed by Kurds, Sunnis and secularists, but did not announce any result. Iraqi leaders had scheduled a session of parliament on Monday in an attempt to force the issue, but the meeting was cancelled at the last minute.

Politicians said that they hoped a new session might be scheduled within several days, but numerous past delays and the lack of any strict deadlines governing the process meant there were no guarantees that a government could be formed by any given deadline.

The events in Adhamiya will only add to the pressure on politicians to resolve the situation.