Iraqi politicians demand better security from U.S. forces in Iraq's most violent region

BAGHDAD, Iraq
Politicians from Anbar province, an insurgent stronghold, met with the U.S. ambassador on Saturday and said they demanded that American forces reduce their attacks on Iraqi civilians and that Iraqi forces stop insurgents entering their region from neighboring countries.

But the officials from Anbar Provincial Council, home to hard-hit cities such as Fallujah and Ramadi, also praised the U.S.-led coalition for its 200 projects aimed at improving the mostly Sunni Arab region's crumbling infrastructure and urged the foreign media to spend more time covering such efforts in their reports about the Iraq war.

"The people of Anbar want to know why they are suffering from daily shellings and killings by U.S. forces, so we asked American Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad to deliver that message to President George W. Bush and his government," said Abdul-Salam Abdullah, the chairman of the Anbar Provincial Council.

"The situation is very complicated in our province, but we demanded that the U.S. Air Force stop firing at civilian areas," Abdullah said at a news conference after he and other politicians met with Khalilzad in the Green Zone, the heavily fortified area of central Baghdad where Iraq's government and the U.S. and British embassies are based.

U.S. Marines engaging in battles with insurgents in Anbar Province often call for support from the U.S. Air Force to bomb houses where militants are hiding.

Khalilzad confirmed that he had met with the politicians to discuss a wide range of issues facing Anbar province after being invited to the council's regularly scheduled meeting in Baghdad.

The ambassador refused to provide any details, saying: "The embassy and the coalition welcome the council's efforts to promote stability and move forward on Anbar's reconstruction. We are partners in this endeavor. We share the provincial council's vision of building a better future for the people of Anbar."

Abdullah said one reason that Anbar, where Sunni Arab insurgents such as al-Qaida in Iraq are based, is "a field of fighting" is that the militants receive recruits and arms from neighboring countries.

The United States has built or renovated nearly 260 forts along Iraq's remote and porous borders, but the U.S. military regularly complains that countries such as Syria and Saudi Arabia often allow insurgents and their weapons to freely cross into Iraq.

Anbar Gov. Maamoun Sami Rashid al-Alwani acknowledged that the province is home to many insurgents groups, but he urged the media to spend more time covering its rebuilding efforts and less time portraying Anbar as Iraq's "hotbed of terrorism."

Sheik Ahmed Bizaie Abu Risha, a senior member of the Anbar Salvation Council of about 20 tribes in the area, said they are determined to continue fighting the insurgents and to open police stations to protect Iraqi citizens.

In Anbar, Iraqi politicians, soldiers and police often are assassinated by insurgents who call them traitors for working with coalition forces that are "occupying" their country.
IHT