Iraq Backs Nineveh Tribes Against Al-Qaeda

MESOP  – al shorfa – 23-11-2013 – Ninawa province tribes that have voiced their rejection of al-Qaeda and their willingness to directly confront the organisation will receive assistance under a new government programme, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said Friday (November 22nd).

“The support includes several aspects, including opening the door for tribesmen to volunteer at security agencies and building additional police centres where tribes are based,” said Deputy Interior Minister for Tribes Affairs Maj. Gen. Mureed Abdul Hassan. The programme will “open a direct line of communication between the tribal council and the Interior Ministry to provide support in cases of armed confrontations with al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist elements”, he told Al-Shorfa. The government also will provide financial and logistical support for tribes, Abdul Hassan said.