Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri,
left, vice president under Saddam,
presents his old boss
with a medal from the people of Mosul.
Recent reports from the city are that al-Douri is claiming
the Iraqi presidency. This item suggests he is a tool of ISIS.
REPORT: ISIS Revives Saddam's Baath Party to Win Sunni Support (Sotal Iraq, Iraq)
"ISIS isn't the only player ... for the first time since
2003, numerous other factions and organizations are taking part and
coordinating their actions to terminate the political process brought about by
the American occupier. ... A reliable source in Mosul told a correspondent from
Niqash that
ISIS is bringing the Baath Party and other groups and tribes back into the
spotlight in order to gain popular acceptance. Today, the citizens of Ninawa Province would welcome the Baath, or ISIS, or Ansar al-Sunna, or the Mujahideen Army, or any other factions whose names resonate
in Mosul. This is a reaction to the erroneous policies of al-Maliki and the
encroachment of the security apparatus into their daily lives for so many
years."
Translated By Translated By Lina
Barakat-Masroujeh
A U.S. playing card with the visage of former Iraq vice president Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, vice chairman of Saddam Hussein's Revolutionary Command Council and the highest ranking member of the Saddam regime to remain at large. He has reportedly appeared in Mosul, the Baath Party's old stronghold, to claim the Iraqi presidency for himself and his party. Whether the Baath is making a comback or is just a tool of ISIS militants is unclear.
After
an 11 year absence imposed as a result of the American occupation, which banned
the party under a new constitution, the Arab
Socialist Ba'ath Party, which ruled over Iraq from 1968 to 2003, is making a
comeback in Mosul.
On
Tuesday June 10, what many in Mosul are calling "Liberation Day,"
pictures of the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein appeared in some areas, accompanied
by rumors that former Vice President Izzat
Ibrahim al-Douri had appeared at the Ninawa
Provincial Headquarters near Mosul. Rumor had it that afterwards, he headed to the
Mosque
of the Prophet Yunus on the other side of the city.
Yet unlike other recent events, not a single photo appeared on social or mass
media platforms to confirm the news.
That
evening, masked gunman armed with Kalashnikovs asked people to attend a speech in
the city square to be given by Al Duri on the
occasion of the so-called victory of the people's revolution. Hundreds
gathered, many with cameras and mobile phones at the ready, to capture a scene
they haven't seen for over a decade. After an hour’s wait, an unknown man with
a long beard appeared on stage and to everyone's astonishment, began a religious sermon. He then departed,
leaving behind a disappointed audience who never even heard a mention of Al Duri's name.
In
the meantime, Facebook and Twitter, as well as SMS
messages, advertised a televised speech by Izzat Al Duri to be given within hours to declare himself the
legitimate president of Iraq, similar to the one he delivered a year ago during
the Ahrar
Square Intifada which broke out in the Sunni provinces, and which at the
time, was broadcast by Al Arabiya. In that speech he
appeared old, wearing thick glasses, and reading his lines with difficulty from
a paper he held in his hands. He was in military uniform and heavily decorated
with medals. Behind him stood four body guards also in military attire, faces
and badges obscure [video in upper-right photo box].
Walid Mohammad Salam, a former Baathist, confirms that the raising of posters of Saddam as
well as leaks about the presence of Al Duri in Mosul
and his leadership of operations against Iraqi security forces are all attempts
to revive memories of the party among its supporters in Mosul, a major base for
the party for over four decades.
During
an interview with Niqash, Salam denied
that Al Duri or any of the party's former leading
figures are now present in Mosul. He said that elements of the Naqshbandi
organization, a military wing of the Baath party, were the source of this
information, as part of an attempt to seek and impose their influence and undermine
the position of ISIS [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria], which, with the support
of other factions, had already fought [and won] the battle against [Iraqi]
security forces.
Responding
to these claims is Rayan Ahmad - a pseudonym for another
member of the Naqshbandi organization - who said that nine months ago, his
party colleagues planned to carry out what
he called “the revolution,” following the suppression by force of demonstrations
and sit-ins by Iraqi security forces in Mosul and Huwayja.
He said, however, for purely organizational reasons, that the "revolution"
was delayed.
He
emphasized that ISIS isn't the only player, and that for the first time since
2003, numerous other factions and organizations are taking part and
coordinating their actions to terminate the political process brought about by
the American occupier.
A
reliable source in Mosul told a correspondent from Niqash that ISIS is bringing the
Baath Party and other groups and tribes back into the spotlight in order to
gain popular acceptance. It is an approach that is part of the group's new
policies for dealing with the civilian population.
Later,
however, having imposed its control over all of Ninawa
Province, ISIS gave the Naqshbandi faction 24 hours to hide all pictures of
Saddam, and called for a public meeting at the Al Haq
Mosque, southwest of Mosul, which was attended by representatives of various
[Sunni] factions. During the meeting it demanded that no flag or logo be raised
other than its own black flag, and that no actions or decisions be made
concerning the city or its administration without the direct permission of ISIS.
As the supreme commander of Ninawa Province, ISIS made
it clear that its rules will be enforced.
"The
citizens of Ninawa Province today see al-Maliki, as
well as the entire political process, the same way they saw the regime of Saddam
Hussein before it collapsed in April 2003. Today they would welcome the Baath,
or ISIS, or Ansar al-Sunna,
or the Mujahideen Army, or any other factions whose
names resonate in Mosul. This is a reaction to the erroneous policies of al-Maliki
and the encroachment of the security apparatus into their daily lives for so
many years."
Posted By
Worldmeets.US
Media
affiliated with Shiite parties are also trying to highlight the role of the Baath
Party in the events taking place in Mosul and Salaheddin,
by greatly exaggerating its significance to create as many rifts as possible among
groups that participated in the fight to take control of cities now outside federal
control. The logic of the Maliki government is that since the Baath is a common
enemy to all players on the Iraqi political scene, a Baath Party comeback would
mean a 10-year reversion for the country.
