Iraqis celebrated as the last convoy of US troops left Iraq, ending nearly nine years of military involvement after the US-led invasion. But their joy did not last long. It was overshadowed by increasing political rows inside the government, spreading fear of a repeat of the political deadlock that followed the March 2010 parliamentary elections, and raising the possibility of sectarian strife in the country.
In the latest move on Monday, the country's supreme court ordered a travel ban on Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi and several of his security guards. The decision came a day after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered al-Hashimi off a plane and had him held temporarily at Baghdad airport. The premier on Sunday accused al-Hashimi and members of his security staff of involvement in a bombing outside parliament last month, which he said had targeted him.
He said preliminary investigations showed that the car that exploded inside Baghdad's highly-fortified Green Zone, where most government buildings and embassies are located, belonged to al-Hashimi's security entourage. The prime minister has also called on lawmakers to withdraw their confidence from one of al-Hashimi's deputies, Saleh al-Mutlaq, who described al-Maliki as "a dictator" to broadcaster CNN.
Bahaa al-Araji, a member of parliament from the Sadrist bloc, said that al-Maliki's demand to withdraw confidence from al-Mutlaq was "legal" but said more efforts were needed to solve the crisis. Al-Hashemi and al-Mutlaq are leaders of the Iraqiya bloc, a secular group backed by many Sunnis that joined the coalition to resolve more than eight months of rows over the formation of a new government.
In the run-up to last year's parliamentary elections, al-Mutlaq was accused of being a member of Saddam Hussein's now-outlawed Baath party, and barred from running. But the ban was lifted and he took the post after a deal between the two major rival blocs. Although it won most seats in the election, Iraqiya was unable to form a government, after al-Maliki - who got the second place in polls - struck a deal with another group to broaden his power base. On Monday, al-Hashimi and several other Sunni politicians were in the Kurdistan region to meet with Iraqi president Jalal Talabani and Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani.
The visit is seen as a request for help from Barzani, who played a key role last year in pushing through the deal that ended Iraq's long stalemate by forming a unity government that should stay in power until the 2014 elections. Both moves against the Sunni leaders are expected to fuel sectarian backlash, as many see it as a step for the prime minister to further consolidate his grip on power after this month's final withdrawal of US troops.
"Rather than engaging in a dialogue, based on good intentions, we find that part of the ruling authority stretches its muscles and uses the security services to its own interest to increase tension," said Maysoon Al-Damluji, spokesman of the Iraqiya bloc.
"This raises questions about the sincerity of the intentions of these parties in achieving security and stability in Iraq," she added.
Iraqis now fear that the dispute between al-Maliki and his Sunni rivals could further deteriorate the country's security and economic problems. It comes after months of mounting tension following a wave of detentions since October, targeting many Sunnis and former members of the army considered loyal to the Baath party.
The arrests came after several of Iraq's mainly Sunni-dominated provinces increased calls for greater autonomy. "We must admit that we are facing big problems, such as internal and external security. So, we need to find solutions, not create new problems," said Kurdish member of parliament Shawan Mohamed Taha. "We have now a real vacuum and political conflicts that threaten the future of Iraq and its unity. We find today's Iraq heading for the unknown," said Sheikh Ismail Ahmed al-Hadidi, a prominent tribal leader in the northern city of Kirkuk.
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