Basra police fighting "countries, not individuals" - chief

Nov 13, 2007, 15:58 GMT

Baghdad - The chief of police in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in an interview published on Tuesday said his officers were engaged in fighting 'countries, not individuals' and were facing 'religious and ideological terrorism' at its strongest.

Abdel-Jalil Khalaf, who survived seven assassination attempts in four months, told pan-Arab newspaper al-Hayat that Basra, 550 kilometres south of Baghdad, was enduring security turmoil.

'The problem is that we are fighting countries that have wide resources, beyond our league,' said Khalaf.

'Even if we succeed in seizing the weapons of the criminals today, more weapons will flow in tomorrow. Our borders are not under our command; they're controlled according to the interests of some politicians in Baghdad and Basra,' he said.

Khalaf told the newspaper that the deteriorating security situation is driving intellectuals and the middle class to leave the city.

Robberies, assassinations and terrorist acts are sometimes coordinated with corrupt police officers, he said.

Khalaf said that the security forces in Basra for instance have received 4,000 vehicles from the British army in Iraq. However, only 1,335 are accounted for while the rest are missing, most likely stolen.

'Even our intelligence network is infiltrated with elements from the militias and armed groups,' said Khalaf.

The police chief had earlier said that he planned to lead a campaign to protect women's rights in the city, which witnessed 'unprecedented violent acts against women.'

'There are many armed groups who kidnap and kill women in the city,' Khalaf had said earlier.

Police patrols have been discovering unidentified female bodies in garbage dumps and remote areas in and around Basra. According to reports, many of these bodies bore signs of severe torture.

Local statistics show that at least 15 women are killed by militants in Basra every month for allegedly 'violating religious and moral rules,' according to Khalaf.