| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| US Army General: 'We aim to drive a wedge between insurgents and terrorists in Iraq |
| 2006-01-29 |
| Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Director Plans and Policy in the United States Central Command, said that the multinational forces are working on "driving a wedge between insurgents in Iraq and terrorists" so that all Iraqis may participate in the political process. General Kimmitt's remarks came during a meeting with Arab journalists in London, after which he gave exclusive statements to Asharq al-Awsat, in which he stressed that "there is no place in Iraq for militias", warning of the spread of the "seeds of sectarian divisions" there. Kimmitt went on to say that his country, along with its allies, is waging a "long war" on terrorism that will rage on for years to come, and which will not end with the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, even though he considered him "the greater threat" to the world today. General Kimmitt said that the United States is focusing its efforts on "driving a wedge between the terrorists in Iraq, and those who feel left out of the political process". However, he went on to stress: "we will not negotiate with terrorists who have blood on their hands." He added, "A lot of people are still sitting on the fence. We wish to persuade these people to participate in the political process." The general went on to say that, the United States is reaching out to "groups that might have contributed to limited operations, or might have provided assistance to other groups. We must distinguish between those who have blood on their hands, and those who provided limited assistance. All 25 million Iraqis have to be (politically) represented, not a few thousand terrorists." General Kimmit warned that "the seeds" of civil war have found their way into Iraq, but "are not being spread on fertile ground, which is in the form of 25 million Iraqis who do not want war." He added, "There are those who wish to sowthese seeds and divide the country. This is what Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (leader of the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Land of the Two Rivers) wants. Greatest way to prevent that is by the 25 million Iraqis who want to live in peace not to allow it to happen". Kimmitt voiced concerns over the possibility that "brothers might raise arms against one another because the United States is no stranger to this scenario, which we do not want to see happen in Iraq because it divided our country and it divides our country up to this point". Kimmit maintained that "there is not a place in Iraq for militias and extra-governmental security forces. Militias have to be gradually disbanded and absorbed into a single national Security apparatus." He added, "The presence of militias gives meaning to the notion that this is not one national country, but is a collection of pockets of groups and tribes that are responsible for their own well-being. This is not what national sovereignty is about." The general went on to say that the Coalition Provisional Authority (which ruled Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime) sought to dissolve the militias "when clear directives were issued regarding the need to disband militias in the long run. The process of demilitarization, demobilization and reintegration of some groups started, but it is not as far along as one would have hoped at this point. Clearly this is the long-term aspiration, not only for the Coalition but for the government themselves, that there would be no militias in the country". |
| Posted by:Fred |