December 10th, 2009 by Jason

Secretary Gates made an unannounced visit to Iraq today to discuss the upcoming parliamentary elections in March. At the same time, the Pentagon clarified today that Iraq’s decision to delay elections until March 7th will not affect the American withdrawal timetable. President Obama has declared combat operations will end August 31, 2010, with a full withdrawal by the end of 2011.

But Gates’ visit comes as Iraq attempts to cope with a series of bloody attacks. The AP reports Prime Minister al-Maliki has replaced Baghdad’s head military commander as he called for patience amongst the angry Iraqi public.  Al-Maliki will attend a special session of parliament to investigate the security failure. According to the article, the political fallout “reveals a stark psychological shift among Iraqis who once accepted such violence as routine and are now demanding someone pay a political price.”

The New York Times reports the attacks have “undermined public faith in the government by exposing the deep divisions within Iraq’s security forces […] the public has come to view security as little more than an extension of politics.” According to security officials, many members of the “security forces are more loyal to political parties than to the state.”

IraqPundit details the disagreement amongst average Iraqis over who is to blame for the attacks. However, he contends, “one thing everyone agreed on is the parliament will be completely replaced” on the March 7 elections. Marc Santora at the At War blog  observes that determining responsibility for such attacks has become more complicated “as the American role here fades, as the regional power struggle intensifies and as the political campaign ahead of national elections scheduled for March gains momentum.” Duraid Adnan tells how the violence in Iraq has personally touched his life.

Finally, an Iraqi government spokesman announced residents of Camp Ashraf would be moved to buildings in Baghdad this Tuesday.

Posted in Iran, Iraq, Military, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Sectarianism, Syria, Terrorism, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda |