Iraq PM seeks to calm tensions after protest camp shut

Iraqi troops will pull out of cities in Anbar province, the prime minister says, apparently seeking to defuse simmering tension after security forces closed a Sunni anti-government protest camp.

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RAMADI // Iraqi troops will pull out of cities in Anbar province, the prime minister said on Tuesday, apparently seeking to defuse simmering tension after security forces closed a Sunni anti-government protest camp.

Deadly clashes broke out Monday as security forces tore down the sprawling camp near the city of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, and sporadic fighting continued on Tuesday, leaving a total of at least 14 people dead.

Monday’s removal of the camp near Anbar’s provincial capital was a victory of sorts for prime minister Nouri Al Maliki, who had said the camp was being used as a headquarters by Al Qaeda.

But while the camp’s closure removed a physical sign of deep-seated grievances among Sunnis in Iraq, it leaves underlying issues unaddressed and is likely to inflame already-widespread anger among the minority community.

In a move seemingly aimed at calming tensions, Mr Al Maliki announced that the army would leave cities in Anbar, a demand made by MPs who submitted their resignations the previous day.

He called on “the armed forces to devote themselves to ... pursuing Al Qaeda hideouts in the desert of Anbar” and for the army to turn over “the administration of the cities to the hands of the local and federal police”.

Mr Al Maliki praised the closure of the camp, saying that it was moving toward the control of “terrorist groups”, and that it was shut down in cooperation with the local government and tribal and religious leaders.

The violence continued in the Ramadi area on Tuesday, where fighting killed three gunmen and an Iraqi army sniper, while three militants were wounded, police and a doctor said.

The city was under curfew and said supplies including food and petrol were in short supply.

Security forces killed 10 gunmen in the Ramadi area on Monday during clashes as the protest camp was taken down, while violence also spread to the nearby city of Fallujah.

There was also political fallout, with 44 MPs, most of them Sunnis, announcing they had submitted their resignations.

They called for “the withdrawal of the army from the cities and the release of MP Ahmed Al Alwani”, a Sunni who was arrested during a deadly raid on Saturday.

The raid on Mr Al Alwani’s house, which sparked clashes that killed his brother, five guards and a security forces member, also raised tensions.

Iraqi Sunnis say they are both marginalised by the government and unfairly targeted by security forces. While the government has made some concessions aimed at placating them, including freeing prisoners and raising the salaries of anti-Al Qaeda militiamen, underlying issues remain unaddressed.

Violence in Iraq last year reached a level not seen since 2008, when the country was emerging from a period of brutal sectarian killings. More than 6,800 people were killed since the beginning of 2013, according to figures given by security and medical sources.

* Agence France-Presse