U.S. To Delay Transfer Of Iraq's Anbar Province

Copyright © 2008 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

MELISSA BLOCK, host:

Now to Iraq and the Sunni province of Anbar. The U.S. military was supposed to hand over security there to the Iraqis late last month, but that was postponed due to bad weather according to the Americans. But NPR has spoken to Iraqi officials in Anbar who say that a new date has not yet been set and that negotiations are ongoing. And violence continues there. Today, in the city of Fallujah, eight people were killed in twin car bombings.

NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro recently visited Anbar and found that some people are not so sure the province is ready to be handed over to the Iraqis.

LOURDER GARCIA-NAVARRO: Ramadi is the capital of Anbar, and up until the tribal sheikhs here turned against al-Qaida in Iraq, it was one of the most violent places in the country. There were brutal clashes between Sunni insurgents and American Marines for years. The devastation that week is still visible.

I'm now driving around Ramadi and all around me is the evidence of the many battles here. The houses have bullet holes and mortar round holes, and some of them are just simply rubble - the result of repeated car bombs.

Many parts of Ramadi still seem eerily quiet, but security is much better, and the U.S. has been touting the turnaround in Anbar. The U.S. military said the planned security handover ceremony was postponed because of a sandstorm. But in a written statement to NPR, the governor of Anbar province, Maamoun Sami Rashid, said that the handover had been further postponed due to ongoing negotiations regarding some of the language in the written agreement both sides must sign.

And there are other complications. The provincial council is trying to fire the province's police chief. That battle is part of a wider power struggle between rival Sunni groups ahead of the upcoming provincial elections. Tribal members of the Awakening movement, with whom the police chief is allied, are trying to rest power from the Iraqi Islamic party, which controls the council.

Still, both sides agree on one issue, the security handover should be postponed. Yahiya Taufik Abu Khader(ph) is a member of the security committee in the Anbar Provincial Council.

Mr. YAHYA TAUFIK ABU KHADER (Security Committee Member, Anbar Provincial Council): (Through translator) The Iraqi security forces here all have tribal alliances. If the Americans hand over control to them, they will be allied to their own sheikhs and it will be against the unity of Anbar.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Sheikh Abdul-Jabbar Abu Risha is one of the leaders of the Awakening movement in Anbar. The Al Bu Risha tribe's alliance with the Americans has brought them power and prestige and money through contracts. He has a different reason for not wanting to see the American handover.

Sheikh ABDUL-JABBAR ABU RISHA (Anbar Awakening Movement): (Through translator) Our security forces, in terms of equipment and supplies, are not in good shape. We need heavy weapons. The troops are not ready. I prefer to postpone the security handover.

(Soundbite of music)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Some Ramadi citizens disagree. For them, the fighting has left a deep well of resentment. Hundreds died in Ramadi's battles. Salam Mahdi Saleh(ph) is a music shop owner. He says the handover should happen if it will speed the Americans on their way.

Mr. SALAM MAHDI SALEH (Music Shop Owner): (Through translator) The security situation is very good especially because of the Awakening groups and the Iraqi security forces. Because of them, we have just started feeling secure.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: He recalls that two of his nephews were killed in crossfire between insurgents and U.S. forces. He blames the Americans and he says the sooner they go the better.

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR News.

Copyright © 2008 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.