'City of Death' may be key to Iraq's future

[MikeF]

Found this interesting article this morning. Diyala, 'Little Iraq,' remains one of the contested provinces as it is an amalagram of Sunnis, Shia, and Kurds. On a positive note, it appears that all parties are seeking to fight their grievances in the political realm rather than the battlefield. Conversely, all the seeds of conflict that incited the civil war are still present. It will be an interesting election. Let's hope the democratic process can dampen the embers of revolt.

'City of Death' may be key to Iraq's future
By Leila Fadel | McClatchy Newspapers

Excerpt:

In New Baqouba, a fledgling party claims that it will win a number of seats. It calls itself "The Solution," and its ranks are filled with former members of Saddam's army.

At the party's headquarters, across the street from bullet-scarred buildings, Abdul Rahman Jassem Nasser sat on a high-backed sofa in the meeting room.

"We oppose the occupation. The destruction of this country is because of the occupation," he said.

He's pragmatic, though: He once supported armed resistance against the U.S. occupation, but it's no longer the time for that, he said. Al Qaida in Iraq, which many resistance fighters once deemed an ally in the fight, grew cruel, and many then chose to work with an enemy that was less cruel, the United States.

"Diyala is the key to Iraq," he said. "Anyone that will control Diyala will control Baghdad. I will stay away from sectarianism, but if the other side controls Diyala, the Iranians will enter to Baghdad."

The face of this father of 13 was tired. The battle for survival has been long. He survived a series of assassination attempts when he led the battle against al Qaida in Iraq in southern Baqouba.

The killing isn't over. On Thursday, a party member named Abbas Farhan al Jubouri was kidnapped with his brother and cousin. The three were later found dead in a village east of Baqouba.

"They gave us promises, and they were all lies," Nasser said, referring to the U.S. vows to bring freedom and security. "All the suffering of the people is because of the occupation, and if the country is ruled by honest men, they can leave, but if it is still these men, there will be massacres."

Full article: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/61040.html

v/r

Mike