Interior minister says security improving across country

by GottaDash Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:01 pm

By Jumaa Suhail

Azzaman, July 7, 2008

Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani said security conditions were improving across the country and that the security forces were moving from strength to strength.

But he acknowledged that the situation was still fragile in at least two major provinces, namely Nineveh of which Mosul is the capital and Diyala of which Baaqouba is the capital.

Bolani said his ministry had gathered evidence of Iranian involvement in violence and Iraq had provided the evidence to Tehran which he believed was now taking action to rein in the groups it supports.

Bolani declined to give the names of these groups but indicated Iran’s meddling was being dealt with at the highest levels of the government.

Asked whether Iraqi troops needed to retake Mosul and Baaqouba, he said he believed so.

He said there were failures in “the military tactics adopted to bring Mosul under control.”

He said military power was not the solution.

“We need to reinvigorate national reconciliation and find political solutions to some problems,” he said.

Bolani admitted that his ministry’s ranks were mired in corruption but said a new salary scale under which the security forces will see their wages raised substantially would hopefully put an end to the practice.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news\2008-07-07\kurd.htm