Word: iraqi
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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During his speech on New Year's Day to celebrate the official transfer of Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone to Iraqi control, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared Jan. 1 the "day of sovereignty" and congratulated his compatriots for having waited so long. He also warned that an Iranian resistance group, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), would no longer be able to have a base on Iraqi territory. (See pictures of life returning to Iraq's streets...
...Even some Iraqis see value in keeping the camp intact. "We have many differences with Iran, and Iran is very deeply involved in Iraq, so I don't think it's wise to end the Iranian resistance," said Salah al-Mutlaq, a Sunni member of parliament from the Iraqi National Dialogue Front. "For the Americans, surrendering the Mujahedin-e Khalq file to the Iraqi government is a big mistake...
...when Iraq and Iran were bitter, warring enemies. But since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the MEK has been stripped of its weapons, confined to its base at Camp Ashraf about 80 miles north of Baghdad and guarded by U.S. troops. The group is hardly an immediate threat to Iraqi security, or even particularly relevant to the challenges Iraq faces under the new U.S.-Iraq security pact...
...when the U.S. military formally transferred control of Camp Ashraf back to the Iraqi government on Jan. 1, the MEK's fate suddenly became an issue. The group is a source of contention for Iran and the U.S., Iraq's two biggest allies, who are increasingly vying for influence as Baghdad's post-Saddam Hussein Shi'ite government asserts its independence. All three countries label the MEK a terrorist organization. Iran wants the group handed over for prosecution. But the U.S. has pledged to ensure the group's rights under international...
...Some Iraqi government officials tie the behavior of Iraqi troops to corruption, incompetence and party loyalties that continue to permeate the ranks. In some areas, tensions and mistrust, though once far stronger, still linger between the Iraqi army and the police. One of the Iraqi army commanders Vermeesch visited recently had been involved in a shoot-out with police forces just 10 months before. Some army commanders are not shy about complaining about the police. "I am very sure that the Iraqi Army is equipped and ready to handle the situation after Jan. 1," said another commander, Col. Abbas...