 |
| Princely Sum: For his allegiance, the US and Iraqis have paid Sheikh Sabah al-Hassani more than $100,000. Sam Dagher |
Will 'armloads' of US cash buy tribal loyalty?
The US policy of paying Sunni Arab sheikhs for their allegiance could be risky.
from the November 8, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
On the ground in Salahaddin, a province of 1.3 million of whom nearly 90 percent at one point were once Baathists, attitudes toward the new order and the shifting alliances are complex.
For example, Hassani's archenemy, deputy governor Abdullah Jabara, who was a senior Baathist and hails from the rival Jubour tribe, tried to have the sheikh arrested last month.
For his part, Hassani praises the US support and says he's gotten only "empty promises" from Baghdad. He says if US forces were ever to leave the province he would be in the lead of their departing convoy. As tribes got down to settling scores, he says, there would be a "bloodbath."
Sheikh Abdul-Rahman al-Obeidi, one of the chiefs of the Obeid whose fiefdom is in the plains of nearby Kirkuk and extends to Salahaddin, says the US push for these awakening councils is "a recipe for endless blood feuds" among tribes.
He says a commander of US forces in Kirkuk arrested his son and two nephews "on false charges" in September because he refused to form an awakening council. Meanwhile, many members of his tribe continue to oppose the presence of US forces in Iraq but still advocate joining the Iraqi police and Army.
"This is unspeakable fitna [discord] being sowed by the Americans," says Mr. Obeidi. "They want you to kill your own cousin and brother."
On a recent evening, Hassani sat behind a large desk that once belonged to Hussein. Two rifles were propped up against the marble wall behind him. Immense crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling of the carpeted office.
Four sheikhs arrived. They asked that their chief, Fanar Mubarak al-Farhan al-Obeidi, be released from jail. He is head of the tribe's Albu-Issa clan and was arrested in the Oct. 30 operation. The brother of one of the visiting sheikhs was a known member of Al Qaeda who was recently killed by US troops.
Hassani said the tribal chieftain will only be released if they provide information on all insurgents in their area and publicly announce their support for his awakening council. He flashed a photo of a wanted man.
"There's no such thing as resistance," Hassani told them. "The American is our friend. The enemy is the one that slaughters us … this man [Col. Hsu] is trying to help us. Join us. Do not waste this opportunity, and I promise you will get moral and financial support."
There was a momentary silence. Then one of the visitors spoke.
"We can't do it this fast, we just can't," says Sheikh Nouri Ahmed al-Obeidi. "Our area is hell. There's Al Qaeda, Islamic Army, bandits, you name it."
RSS feed
