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BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein’s former agents are funding a sophisticated alliance with foreign Muslim militants to carry out vicious attacks on polling stations during Iraq’s elections, the deputy prime minister said on Sunday.
Barham Salih said intelligence gathered from dozens of Saddam’s former intelligence and army officers and foreign fighters arrested in the past week points to a major offensive during the polls.
Members of Saddam’s toppled Baath Party and foreign militants inspired by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his key ally in Iraq, Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, may have suffered setbacks but have plenty of cash.
“We do have, I think, some good ideas about what they are planning to do as a way of attacking polling stations and creating an insecure environment to prevent the population from going to the polling stations,” he told Reuters in an interview.
“They have vicious plans to derail the process. Bin Laden recently came out with a very clear statement that he does not want elections to be held in Iraq.”
Iraq’s U.S.-backed government is pinning its hopes on the Jan. 30 elections to usher in a new era of democracy after decades of Saddam’s iron-fisted rule.
But security fears have overshadowed the political process.
“We are dealing with a tough, mindless, determined, resourceful enemy that wants to deny us that basic right of going to the polling station to decide the future of this country,” said Salih, a former Kurdish exile in Washington and London.
Iraqi security forces will limit the movement of cars in cities and between provinces and possibly impose curfews in trouble spots.
“Iraqi forces will assume the lead responsibility in terms of protection for the polling stations. The multinational forces will be elsewhere but they could be called upon should help be needed,” he said.
PLENTY OF CASH
A U.S. offensive on the western city of Falluja captured the main rebel stronghold but insurgents have pressed on with suicide bombings and assassinations in the run-up to the elections to choose a 275-member national assembly that will draft a constitution.
Salih said Saddam loyalists escaped a U.S.-led invasion in 2003 with large amounts of cash now being used to fund a close alliance with foreign militants that is focusing on the northern city of Mosul and Baghdad after the Falluja battle.
He repeated the Iraqi government accusation that some rebel leaders are operating out of neighboring countries such as Syria. Damascus has said it is doing its best to prevent guerrillas crossing the border to Iraq.
“In Iraq we have a lethal alliance between former Saddamists and these global Jihadists. Saddam Hussein’s people have taken a lot of money from the Iraqi treasury. We know of the existence of many of these leaders from the former regime in countries like Syria,” he said.
“The former regime elements and these global Jihadists are working together, coordinating attacks and helping each other to instigate terrorist activities across the country.”
Zarqawi, the man blamed for many of the worst bombings, is still on the run. Salih said Zarqawi was working with Saddam’s former henchmen in a highly structured organization that includes former Iraqi special forces.
“We do see a high level of coordination between the former regime loyalists and Zarqawi and the surrogate organizations as part of a coordinated campaign of cooperation, intelligence, providing logistics back and forth,” he said.
“The picture that is emerging is that there is a high command for these terrorist activities. The bulk of the terrorist operations that we have to deal with come from the former regime loyalists.”
Despite setbacks, insurgents have regrouped ahead of the elections. But Salih, a candidate on a Kurdish list in the polls, said Iraqis had no choice but to vote.
“We will build a vibrant, democratic system of government that will transform Iraq from the land of mass graves and tyranny into the land of peace and rule of law,” said Salih.
“My personal ambition at the moment is to make sure elections will happen and will be free and fair and to disprove the contention that the Middle East cannot be ruled but by tyranny.”
Barham Salih said intelligence gathered from dozens of Saddam’s former intelligence and army officers and foreign fighters arrested in the past week points to a major offensive during the polls.
Members of Saddam’s toppled Baath Party and foreign militants inspired by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his key ally in Iraq, Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, may have suffered setbacks but have plenty of cash.
“We do have, I think, some good ideas about what they are planning to do as a way of attacking polling stations and creating an insecure environment to prevent the population from going to the polling stations,” he told Reuters in an interview.
“They have vicious plans to derail the process. Bin Laden recently came out with a very clear statement that he does not want elections to be held in Iraq.”
Iraq’s U.S.-backed government is pinning its hopes on the Jan. 30 elections to usher in a new era of democracy after decades of Saddam’s iron-fisted rule.
But security fears have overshadowed the political process.
“We are dealing with a tough, mindless, determined, resourceful enemy that wants to deny us that basic right of going to the polling station to decide the future of this country,” said Salih, a former Kurdish exile in Washington and London.
Iraqi security forces will limit the movement of cars in cities and between provinces and possibly impose curfews in trouble spots.
“Iraqi forces will assume the lead responsibility in terms of protection for the polling stations. The multinational forces will be elsewhere but they could be called upon should help be needed,” he said.
PLENTY OF CASH
A U.S. offensive on the western city of Falluja captured the main rebel stronghold but insurgents have pressed on with suicide bombings and assassinations in the run-up to the elections to choose a 275-member national assembly that will draft a constitution.
Salih said Saddam loyalists escaped a U.S.-led invasion in 2003 with large amounts of cash now being used to fund a close alliance with foreign militants that is focusing on the northern city of Mosul and Baghdad after the Falluja battle.
He repeated the Iraqi government accusation that some rebel leaders are operating out of neighboring countries such as Syria. Damascus has said it is doing its best to prevent guerrillas crossing the border to Iraq.
“In Iraq we have a lethal alliance between former Saddamists and these global Jihadists. Saddam Hussein’s people have taken a lot of money from the Iraqi treasury. We know of the existence of many of these leaders from the former regime in countries like Syria,” he said.
“The former regime elements and these global Jihadists are working together, coordinating attacks and helping each other to instigate terrorist activities across the country.”
Zarqawi, the man blamed for many of the worst bombings, is still on the run. Salih said Zarqawi was working with Saddam’s former henchmen in a highly structured organization that includes former Iraqi special forces.
“We do see a high level of coordination between the former regime loyalists and Zarqawi and the surrogate organizations as part of a coordinated campaign of cooperation, intelligence, providing logistics back and forth,” he said.
“The picture that is emerging is that there is a high command for these terrorist activities. The bulk of the terrorist operations that we have to deal with come from the former regime loyalists.”
Despite setbacks, insurgents have regrouped ahead of the elections. But Salih, a candidate on a Kurdish list in the polls, said Iraqis had no choice but to vote.
“We will build a vibrant, democratic system of government that will transform Iraq from the land of mass graves and tyranny into the land of peace and rule of law,” said Salih.
“My personal ambition at the moment is to make sure elections will happen and will be free and fair and to disprove the contention that the Middle East cannot be ruled but by tyranny.”