12.1 |
Security Sector Reform
1507.
On 21
September, Mr Collis reported that Governor Riyadh had been
exonerated
by a
Baghdad court but the circumstances surrounding his exoneration
were unclear.1378
Mr Abu
Maythem, Chief of Police, had taken “one look at the letter
exonerating Riyadh,
declared it
a forgery and repeated his desire for justice to be served”. While
Mr Maythem
agreed “the
current situation was calmer than for a while”, he “believed
fighting would
start up
again soon”.
1508.
Mr Hatim
looked most “likely to come out on top of this struggle”, appearing
to
have
“purged” the Council of anyone who opposed him and “worn down any
opposition
in Baghdad
to acquitting his brother”. There was “no sign” of General Rashash,
Prime
Minister
Allawi’s Security Co‑ordinator, and Mr Maythem “appeared quite
unaware” of
his appointment.
1509.
On 26
September, Mr Davies reported that as part of a deployment of
38
ArmorGroup
contractors, three contractors were deployed to Maysan to develop
criminal
intelligence
capability and mentor the TSU.1379
Mr Davies
also reported that the location
of the
police in Maysan had “received some rocket and mortar fire during
the week”.
1510.
On 15 October,
Mr Collis stated that the security situation in Maysan
remained
“superficially
quiet” following the cease-fire, with “no serious attacks against
the MNF for
several
weeks”.1380
The
political struggle, however, continued. There had been a
series
of
high‑profile murders and the perpetrators were unknown. Governor
Riyadh had used
the
opportunity to criticise Mr Maythem for failing to prevent the
murders. The fall‑out
from
Mr Hatim’s ‘purge’ of the Council rumbled on. Mr Collis
concluded:
“Maysan
remains a sorry mess and a standing indictment of the new Iraq’s
(and our)
failure to
grip its linked problems of tribal warlordism, Iranian meddling,
corruption
and
extremism.”
1511.
On 24 October,
the Chief of Police, who was being mentored by DCC White,
was
murdered in
al‑Amara as he exited a mosque.1381
Following
that, a police committee was
established,
with UK and Danish support, to oversee policing, including the
selection of
a new Chief
of Police.
1512.
Following a
visit to Maysan province on 10 February 2005, Mr Collis
wrote:
“Real
progress has been made in Maysan, although none of it is
irreversible and we
need to
ensure adequate resources are in place to maintain SSR and
reconstruction
momentum.
UK forces have turned round a difficult environment. Their
security
presence is
robust, but welcomed by the local population … The province
looks
to be an
early candidate for a reduced MNF‑I presence, with only a back‑up
role
in
security. Our planned increase in police mentoring is essential to
maintaining
1378
Telegram
153 Basra to FCO, 21 September 2004, ‘Southern Iraq:
Maysan’.
1379
Minute
Davies, 26 September 2004, ‘Ministry of Interior – Weekly Report
Number: 46’.
1380
Telegram
171 Basra to FCO, 15 October 2004, ‘Southern Iraq: Peace and
Politics in Maysan’.
1381
Public
hearing, 21 July 2010, page 52.
403