Posted to Poetry and Politics on 2004-05-02 07:17:00
To give Iraq back to the evil-doers?
Marines turn over control of Fallujah to Iraqi general once loyal to Hussein
Colin Freeman, Chronicle Foreign Service Sunday, May 2, 2004
Baghdad — In the old days, just the sight of his drab green uniform was enough to strike fear into dissident Iraqi hearts.
As a commander of Saddam Hussein’s elite Republican Guard, Maj. Gen. Jassim Mohammed Saleh was part of the formidable army that put down insurrections. Now the ex-Baathist is back in uniform — this time for the people who a year ago were his enemies.
In a remarkable case of poacher-turned-gamekeeper, Saleh has been handpicked by the U.S. military to lead a new 1,000-strong Iraqi force to quell the insurgency in the city of Fallujah.
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After three weeks of fierce fighting in which up to 800 people have died, the Marines have reluctantly decided they have neither the local knowledge nor credibility to tackle the 2,000 or so militants still holding out there. Saleh’s force, known as the Fallujah Protective Army, is “an Iraqi solution to an Iraqi problem,” according to Marine Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne. “They know the populace. They know the terrain.”
But while the move might assuage those who feared Fallujah would be leveled, the decision to reactivate Saleh has provoked discontent among some Iraqis. Although he apparently is not on the list of Baathist war criminals, he was still a part of the old, discredited regime.
“The U.S. has slipped into the swamp in Iraq, and now they are trying to hang on any rope to get them out,” said one former Iraqi army colonel who used to know Saleh. “They do not care whether he was in the Baath Party or not. All they are interested in is suppressing the militants and rebels. What message does this send out? That the Americans have no principles — they just want to keep their own asses safe.”
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He was raised in the towns around Fallujah that provided much of the manpower for Hussein’s army and security services. He still sports the fat walrus mustache that was standard wear for Hussein’s senior military acolytes, and he was also a level two Baath Party member — the second highest category, designating a position of power and privilege normally earned by paying more than mere lip service to the former president.
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Speaking on condition of anonymity, one senior U.S. Army general said, “We don’t know if he was a level two Baath Party member — we really know very little about these guys as of yet. They introduced themselves to the Marine commanders in Fallujah last week and said they had influence in the area that might be useful.
“It is true that there is some due diligence to be done on these guys before we start using them. But on the other hand, we cannot make endless checks, as the situation does not allow time for that.”
Saleh’s former military colleagues say investigation will yield a clean bill of health. “He was a tough guy, but a gentleman, who was a general because he was properly trained, not because he was close to Saddam,” said one.
They acknowledge that did not keep him from doing Hussein’s dirty work. In 1991, when Iraq’s Shiite community rebelled in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, Saleh was among those ordered to crush the revolt by all means necessary. He was reportedly stationed in Amara, a marshland town that saw fierce fighting between the Republican Guard and Iranian-backed guerrilla forces. While his personal role is not known, others who served in the region speak of villages razed and insurgents executed. Most of the mass graves scattered across Iraq’s Shiite heartland also date from that time.
Some now speculate that Saleh may bring the same uncompromising methods to Fallujah. “The Iraqi armies do not f — about,” said one colonel. “They will just shoot any Iraqi who does not tell them where the insurgents are. It is the kind of methods the Americans would love to use, but cannot be seen to.”
