Iraq purchases 12 new US-built reconnaissance planes to bolster surveillance; Iraq's presidency approves provincial elections law; Two US helicopters crashed in Baghdad; Sunni Arab groups obtain pay in Iraq
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    • Iraq’s Defense Ministry said Iraq has bought 12 new US-built reconnaissance planes to bolster surveillance of its borders and better track movement of extremist groups. Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Askari said six King Air planes have been delivered, with six more expected to arrive soon. He also added that they would be used in Iraq's ‘war against terrorism’. The planes will be used to track terrorists' movements inside or outside cities, plus detect any infiltration across Iraq's borders.
    The King Airs are small aircraft equipped with advanced aerial video technology enabling them to cover wide areas and send live feed to ground control centers1.

    Meanwhile, the Presidency Council – which consists of President Jalal Talabani and his two vice presidents - has agreed to ratify the country's provincial elections law paving the way for long-awaited elections to be held before January 31 next year. The polls had been scheduled for October 1, but the law governing how the vote should be conducted stalled in parliament over how to treat the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, where control is disputed by Kurds, Arabs and ethnic Turkmen. Parliament adopted a revised version last month which puts off a decision on Kirkuk while authorizing the election in other provinces2.

    Elsewhere, the US military says a man believed to be the planner of a series of deadly al-Qaeda attacks in Iraq has been killed in Adhamiya district of Baghdad. Mahir al-Zubaydi, also known as Abu Assad or Abu Rami, was said to head the group behind bombings which killed at least 16 people in Baghdad this week. US officials described him as the al-Qaeda military commander for the whole of Baghdad east of the Tigris river. He was suspected to have played a key role in planning some of the worst atrocities in Iraq over the past few years3.

    The US military in Iraq says it will soon hand over responsibility for paying members of Sunni Arab groups fighting al-Qaeda to the Iraqi government. About 100,000 former anti-US insurgents have joined the so-called ‘Awakening Councils’ since September 2006 and received salaries from the US. Members of the ‘Baghdad Awakening’ will move to the government payroll on October 1, 2008, with others to follow. The cost of the former insurgents' salaries amounts to about $360m a year. The ‘Sunni Awakening’ has made a huge difference to the security situation in Iraq. A US military spokesman in Baghdad says 54,000 Baghdad Awakening members would be paid by the national government from next month. The first councils were formed in the province of Anbar when local Sunni tribes, who had initially backed al-Qaeda against US forces, turned against it because of its extremist ideology. Their successful campaign ousted al-Qaeda from Anbar within a year, transforming the huge western province into one of the most peaceful parts of Iraq. Awakening councils are also found among Sunni Arab tribes in Salaheddin, Diyala, Nineveh and Tamim provinces. Members have often been the target of attacks by al-Qaeda-inspired militants. However, there are major concerns about whether the Awakening movement can be integrated into the national government or whether it will continue as an alternative source of political and military power4.

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