WASHINGTON DC—Iraq’s Shiite-led government is alienating the country’s large Sunni population by waging a war in Anbar province, instead of addressing legitimate complaints, according to Osama al-Nujaifi, Iraq’s parliament speaker and one of its top Sunni leaders.
“Not everything in Anbar is terrorism related,” Nujaifi said Thursday in a speech at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, part of the Brookings Institute in Washington DC. “There are political demands, problems and rights that need a political solution, not a military incursion,” he explained.
“Of course, al-Qaida is there and we should fight it. Clans are fighting them as we speak,” he added.
Iraq’s Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki dispatched the armed forces into Anbar after fighters of al-Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) took over several government buildings. The UN says the continued fighting has displaced some 140,000 people.
Sunni politicians like Nujaifi blame Maliki and his government for the revival of al-Qaeda, which was pushed back after the government enlisted and armed Sunni clans against the militants between 2007 and 2009.
The Sunni politicians accuse Maliki’s government of disarming, abandoning, persecuting and -- in some cases -- jailing the tribal fighters after they helped the government keep al-Qaeda at bay.
“From 2009 until a few months ago these forces were almost completely destroyed and AQI came back stronger than before. The AQI has been paralyzing the clans and the central government has not followed up on its moral and literal promises.”
Nujaifi admitted that some members of AQI and ISIS live in and operate from Anbar, but said this should not be grounds for the government to punish the entire region.
“Iraq at this point is at a crossroads,” Nujaifi declared. “What we need is a strong determination, political will and for everyone to agree on a constitution; forget past problems and move toward reconciliation.
“Iraq is now facing a dire terrorist threat and we need to figure out how to defeat this threat ideologically and physically,” he warned.
He added that he rejects US interference in Iraq, but welcomes support in finding a solution. He warned that if Iraq were to collapse, it would affect US and global security.
“We need weapons, political and economic support,” Nujaifi said, adding that the United States had lost interest in Iraq as it focused elsewhere in the world. He said it was having to look back because of the renewed threat from Islamic extremists.
The same day that Nujaifi was speaking, the White House advised Congress of plans to arm Iraq with an additional 500 Hellfire missiles at a cost of $82 million. US troops based in Jordan are also reportedly being considered to train Iraqi forces.
In meetings with Nujafi, US leaders underscored that Washington stands with Iraq and its people in the fight against terrorism.
The Iraqi leader was received by top US officials, including US President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, indicating Washington’s eagerness to restore order in Iraq’s restive Sunni provinces.
The White House released a statement on Wednesday after Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with Nujaifi. It said the US administration voiced strong US support for continued cooperation between local and tribal leaders and the Iraqi government against al-Qaeda and other extremist groups.
Nujaifi also accused Maliki’s government of implementing laws selectively, refusing to pay the different provinces their full share from extracted oil and marginalizing communities like the Sunnis.
“I don’t agree with Prime Minister Maliki and the way he manages the country, and I believe that committing to the constitution and applying the rule of law is not clear in the policies of the government.”
“This democracy, some believe, is selective; it is democracy for some and oppression for others,” Nujaifi charged.
He added that the government’s discriminatory policies were driving the different provinces toward seeking autonomy within a federal system.
He said that the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had fared far better than the rest of Iraq, because it had adopted intelligent policies and the rule of law.
“Now, the KRG is an example of stability, security, investment and wise politics,” Nujaifi declared.
