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Sectarianism has infected Iraq's new army


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The Legacy of the Jundis

By Bernhard Zand in Dubai

Sectarianism has infected Iraq's new army. But bitter feelings and corruption are even more rife in the country's police forces -- which presents a dilemma for General David Petraeus as he reports on the strength of Iraqi troops before Congress.

In the middle of Baghdad, on the eastern, Shiite-controlled bank of the Tigris, stands a monument that has so far survived the purge of Saddam-era memorials since the fall of his regime. It's a statue of Saddam's cousin, brother-in-law and longtime defense minister, Adnan Khairallah. Anyone who wants to speculate on the strength and potential of Iraq's military -- as General David Petraeus will in a report before Congress on Monday -- should spare a moment's thought for Khairallah.

He was the brother of Saddam's first wife, Sajidah Hussein, and 20 years ago he stood at the pinnacle of his career. Iraq had bled itself dry in a war with Iran; hundreds of thousands of Arab Sunnis and Shiites were killed. A ceasefire would come in June 1988, but the darkest episode of Iraq's history still lay ahead: The gassing of the Kurds and the catastrophe at Halabja. Saddam's top soldier from that era nevertheless enjoyed -- and still enjoys -- broad popularity. "Adnan Khairallah," says Army Lieutenant Misbah Husseini, 29, a Shiite from Basra, "was a patriot, an excellent leader in the field, and an upstanding man."

Full story, Source: Der Spiegel

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