[Peace-discuss] No Chalabi - another Iraqi protest

[Ricky Baldwin]

Iraqi Protesters Block Marines in Kut 

April 15, 2003

By BURT HERMAN, Associated Press Writer 

KUT, Iraq - Hundreds of protesters blocked U.S.
Marines from entering Kut's city hall Tuesday to meet
a radical anti-American Shiite cleric who has declared
himself in control here, military officials said.

About 20 Marines from Task Force Tarawa decided
against trying to enter the building after being
confronted by 1,200 protesters, said Lt. Col. Jean
Malone, deputy operations officer for the 2nd Marine
Expeditionary Brigade. 

The protesters were shouting "No, No Chalabi!" —
referring to Ahmed Chalabi, the leader of the
Pentagon-backed Iraqi National Congress opposition
group. 

Many Iraqi opposition leaders fear the United States
is trying to force Chalabi on them as leader of a new
Iraqi administration. 

Said Abbas, a cleric who American officers claim is
Iranian-backed and supported by only 10 percent of the
local population, seized city hall before coalition
forces entered Kut last weekend. 

Military officials say he has been preaching
anti-American statements in local mosques. Col. Ron
Johnson, deputy commander of Task Force Tarawa, said
U.S. troops wanted to meet with Abbas to tell him
"there is more than just one leader in the region." 

However, after the Marines were turned back by the
morning protest, two men who claimed to be Abbas
representatives came to the makeshift military
headquarters in Kut and said they weren't in control
of the protesters and they had nothing against the
American presence, Malone said. 

"Clearly, the U.S. Marine Corps is in control of the
city," Malone said. "If we'd gone to kick him out,
he'd be out." 

Marines in Task Force Tarawa are still awaiting orders
from their superiors on what to do in the rapidly
changing situation in southern Iraq as large-scale
fighting has ended, Malone said. 

"We're not exactly sure what our responsibilities
are," he said. "We'd like to see a stable and secure
city." 

Johnson said there were no immediate plans for Marines
to arrange a meeting of town elders to decide on their
government. He also expressed worries about security
in Kut, saying there were a lot of small arms spread
through town. 

The former regional police chief told Marines on
Tuesday he wanted to put his officers back on patrol
and allow them to be armed, Malone said. The city has
avoided the large-scale looting seen elsewhere in the
country, but there has been violence against former
symbols of the regime. Gunfire is heard often at
night. 

The U.S. military is considering the police chief's
request, but Malone said commanders are being cautious
about the trade off between providing immediate
stability and avoiding the risk they "put someone back
in power who really shouldn't have power." 


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