Maliki, Now Is Time for Accountability
8/28/2015 0 Comments
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Heshmat Alavi is a political activist for peace and freedom and advocates anti-fundamentalism. Follow him on @HeshmatAlavi This Article is his Opinoin !
Iran-dominated government of Maliki pursued sectarian policies after U.S. troops left, maltreating the Sunni minority, and worsening grievances that allowed ISIS, a Sunni extremist group, to gain a foothold, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haidar Al Ebadi gained popular support when he challenged the widespread graft and corruption which has prevailed in different layers of Iraqi political system. Waves of demonstrations and mass protests had already swept different Iraqi cities when Ebadi attempted to ratify his reform package. The demonstrations started first when thousands of angry Iraqis took to the streets protesting shortage of electricity and other urban services that exhausted them in the summer high heat. Resentment surged as protesters’ attention was concentrated on the colossal implausible corruption in Iraq‘s governing institutes. The peak of demonstrations came at last when protesters called for the trial of Nouri Al Maleki as the first person responsible for Iraq’s ruined political and social situation.
Following Ebadi’s reform package an investigation committee named Maleki as the one who has been widely blamed for allowing corruption to thrive during his tenure as prime minister, including in Iraq’s security forces. Ebadi has also been attempting to overhaul the military. An initial investigation last year had discovered 55,000 “ghost soldiers” in the army — soldiers who were being paid but did not exist, with those salaries instead going into the pockets of officers. More were expected to be uncovered.
The parliamentary committee of investigation of the Iraqi Parliament also charged former PM Nouri al-Maliki and 35 other officials and high ranking army officers for failure to keep Mosul, the second largest Iraqi city, from falling in to the hands of ISIS last year. Maliki is also charged that when Prime Minister he used 7,411 military personnel to provide protection for himself and 18 other officials in his government. Other document shows Maliki had established battalions in the army with the sole mission to protect various officials, and they had nothing to do with protecting the country. This policy, adopted and pursued by Maliki is said to have wasted $48 billion of the people’s wealth.
Nouri Maliki was brought to power on American tanks when United States invaded Iraq. He was later supported and maintained in power by the regime of Iran. Maliki had spent years living in Iran and worked closely with Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corpse (IRGC), the special army that contains those loyal to Iran’s supreme leader. IRGC has been one of the main means of suppressing the Iranian people and meddling into neighboring countries. It also controls a huge portion of Iran’s economy.
During his 8 year on the throne Nouri Maliki Iranian regime fortified its grip on the institutes forming the Iraqi government making Iraq a ground for implementing orders of Tehran’s Ayatollahs. Maliki brought all government institutions under his control and grasped all aspects of the government. He now faces much criticism and arguments. His rule ended with Iraq losing $800 billion of its wealth.
Iran-dominated government of Maliki pursued sectarian policies after U.S. troops left, maltreating the Sunni minority, and worsening grievances that allowed ISIS, a Sunni extremist group, to gain a foothold. Tehran has built up its influence in the past decade by giving political backing to the Iraqi government, and weapons and advisers to the militias and the remnants of the Iraqi military, say current and former Iraqi officials.
Following the US invasion of Iraq, Iran invigorated its proxy terrorist groups in Iraq. These militia groups ramped up their activities with Nouri Maliki as the Prime minister. Three Iraqi Shi’ite armies, Asaib Al-Haq, the Badr Brigades, formed in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq War, and more secretive Kataib Hezbollah, together have become the most powerful military force in Iraq since the collapse of the national army in June. Men who run these groups are key to Iran’s power and influence. Quds Force, the branch of Iran’s IRGC that handles operations outside Iran oversees Tehran’s Iraqi militias.
Asaib al Haq has claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on Camp Liberty- home to several thousand Iranian dissidents known as MEK/PMOI - adjacent to Baghdad International Airport that killed and injured many of its residents. Maliki is missioned, on behalf of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, to impale MEK activities in Iraq. Controlled by Iraqi army intelligence agents, Camp Liberty is now under medical and logistic siege.
Gulf News in the UAE published an article on why Maliki failed, writing, “Maliki always maintained very close relations with Qassem Suleimani without a doubt for all their practical goals this was Suleimani who actually directed Iraq”. Sabah Al-Mukhtar, chairman of London based Arab Lawyers Association, has told a conference in Paris. Nouri al-Maliki and his ‘criminal’ militia are the real terrorists in Iraq”
Strone Stevenson, chief of the European Foundation for Iraqi Freedom said in an interview with Sky News TV,” Maliki has always been a puppet in the hands of Mullahs of Tehran.” Stevenson added,” There are still thousands of tortured prisoners who have given false confession under torture.”
Colonel Wesley Martin, a senior anti-terrorism officer in Iraq said,” Unfortunately United States unremitting supported Maliki; we did not do a wise job.”
Iraqi masses are continuing with their demonstrations demanding severe punishment for Maliki. A statement posted on the Prime Minister’s official website reveals that Haidar al-Ebadi has also referred over 100 commanders and military officers to court for deserting positions without orders.
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