NAJAF, Iraq, 28 February 2005 — Iraqis wanting to contact Najaf’s chief of police could be forgiven for not knowing who to call — a new man has been appointed to the job, but the old one refuses to go. A bitter feud over who is in charge of security in the sacred Shiite city highlights the challenges facing the national government, which is struggling to keep its security forces alive, let alone from squabbling with one another.
Najaf, relatively peaceful since US forces and Shiite militiamen reached a deal to end fighting there in August, has been billed as a success story. But the men who are meant to be imposing law and order are busy bickering in a country where police cannot afford to let their guard down.
Police chief Ghalib Al-Jazairy insists he is still boss even after Baghdad’s Interior Ministry appointed Brig. Abdel Shaheed Abdel Razzak to take over the post. To add to the confusion, Jazairy’s rage is vented not at Razzak, but at Abdel Aal Al-Koufi, who he believes has been put in charge of overall security in Najaf by his rival, Najaf Governor Adnan Al-Zurfi.
“Koufi took control of police stations and he detained four of my relatives who are senior police officers and he released the murderers suspected of killing my two sons,” said Jazairy. “He was following the orders of the Najaf governor. He is not a policeman and he has no rank. He is just a supporter of the governor,” he told Reuters.
Jazairy’s sons, also police officers, were dragged off a bus and shot while protecting pilgrims traveling from Najaf to Kerbala during the Shiite Ashura ritual about 10 days ago. But the US-backed governor has accused Jazairy of stirring up problems. “Jazairy is trying to cause trouble and disobeying a decision of the ministry,” said Zurfi.
Najaf, a spiritual capital of Shiites around the world, is vital to the stability of Iraq, where a Shiite political alliance won last month’s landmark election.
Some Najaf residents fear the crisis could invite trouble again after a period of relative stability.
“This will lead to disorder and problems inside the city. This could be exploited by terrorists who will enter the city again,” said Sabah Muhammad, 28, a fabrics trader. “This is rejected and the authorities must act quickly to end these problems to safeguard security.”
Jazairy first grabbed attention in August last year during a US offensive on militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr. After his 80-year-old father was held by guerrillas, he sent policemen to a hotel to intimidate journalists into writing more favorable stories about his police force. Journalists at the scene said policemen shot their weapons in the air and threatened to kill them.
