Rise of Awakening Groups Sets Off A Struggle for Power Among Sunnis

Tariq Yousef al-Asaal, an Awakening founder in Anbar, dismissed his firing as police chief as "a political decision." (By Andrea Bruce -- The Washington Post)
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Last September, Abu Risha was assassinated in a bombing. But the Awakening movement continued spreading to other parts of Iraq, as various U.S.-backed forces emulated what Abu Risha started in Anbar. Their successes have bolstered their sense of political entitlement.

The next provincial elections are widely expected to bring more representation to Iraq's Sunnis. But as Shiite-on-Sunni violence has declined, the competition for power among Sunnis is deepening.

"We don't want to be assigned ministries," said Abdul Karim al-Asaal, a senior Awakening official and the police chief's brother. "We want this by the ballot."

'Who Is Higher Here?'

Seven months ago, the governing council sent four nominations for a new police chief to Iraq's Interior Ministry. Tariq Yousef al-Asaal was not on the list. But the Interior Ministry, which oversees Iraq's national police, appointed Asaal anyway, in an acknowledgment by the Shiite-led government of the growing power of the Awakening movement.

Under Asaal, violence in Ramadi declined and commercial bustle returned to a city that had been largely a ghost town. Nevertheless, in late May the governing council voted to fire Asaal. Marzuk said the chief had sent his men outside the province, dismissed officers and made other decisions without getting permission from the council.

"Who is higher here?" Marzuk said. "The governor or the police chief? The governor is like a president in his province." The governor, also an Iraqi Islamic Party member, had approved Asaal's dismissal.

Asaal said he reports only to Iraq's central government. "The interior minister himself appointed me for this position, and the prime minister knows about all of this," Asaal said.

Many Iraqi Islamic Party politicians still keep families, homes and investments in Arab capitals, prompting Awakening leaders to deride the party's credentials. The mostly secular tribal chiefs are also wary of the religious leanings of the Iraqi Islamic Party, which has pushed for conservative Islamic values and legislation. They have also accused the party of financing the activities of al-Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgent groups, which party officials have denied.

Now, the governing council is suing the Interior Ministry for not appointing one of its four candidates, and for refusing to dismiss Asaal, Marzuk said.

Political Disputes

On the tan walls and in the busy markets of Ramadi, there are no election banners or signs of campaigning. But already there is talk of political change.

Haitham Abdul Hameed Thanoun, a 37-year-old teacher, said he was frustrated by a lack of basic services and investment. "The Iraqi Islamic Party has not done anything for the city and its people," he said. "They have done good only for their followers by appointing them to government posts."

Others viewed party members as out-of-touch politicians who prefer to stay in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and Iraqi government offices.