Remarkable security success vs. deteriorating services in Missan

MISSAN / IraqiNews.com: One year after the launch of Operation Bashaer al-Salam in Missan, many officials and residents of the southern province have highlighted the improvement in the security situation, but lamented the decline in the quality and quantity of services in the province. Commenting on the security aspect, Missan’s police chief said, “Operation Bashaer al-Salam, launched in the province one year ago, has helped build and develop the capabilities of the police.” “More than 1,200 wanted men, including 450 who gave themselves up to the security forces, have been detained. Amounts of ammunition, weapons and explosives that are enough to destroy the entire province, were seized…,” he added. Since June 19, 2008, Missan has been witnessing a wide-scale security operation codenamed Bashaer al-Salam, or Promise of Peace, which the government said aimed to eliminate gunmen and impose order and law all over the province. Sitting on the Tigris River, Amara, the capital city of Missan, lies 390 km south of Baghdad. Missan, in the east of the country, bordering Iran, is home to many marsh Arabs. Staff Maj. Gen. Nabil al-Husseini has praised the efforts made by tribesmen in this regard. Coordination between police and army forces on the one hand and tribal leaders on the other was essential for the success of the operation, Husseini explained. Speaking to IraqiNews.com news agency, Sheikh Mohammed Sadoun, the head of the tribal support council in the province, said that local tribes have played a pivotal role in rendering the operation a success. Holding conferences and raising social awareness of the importance of enforcing the rule of law have added to the achievement, Sadoun explained. Since the launch of the security campaign, 17 tribal councils have been formed in Missan. Offshoots of these councils have emerged to follow up on the implementation of service projects in the province. “The services provided to residents were not in line with the size of the operation. The emergency funds allocated to establish small service projects were small, not more than $100 million U.S. dollars,” Sadoun added. Mohammed Ali, a local resident of al-Awasha area, downtown Amara, said that the funds have not been optimally used. Ali indicated that many random projects that lack organization were financed through the funds. Meanwhile, Abdulhussein Jabir, said that services were badly affected with the arrest of several local officials, including the head of the provincial council and Amara mayor, in addition to several council members. “This has caused a delay in implementing several crucial projects,” Jabir said. At the start of the operation, joint Iraqi forces arrested a number of officials, who were later released for lack of evidence. SS (I) 2