Flag of the Islamic State of Iraq

Developments in Iraq:

• After an initial investigation, an Iraqi judiciary committee says it has found enough evidence to tie vice president Tariq al-Hashimi to the killings of a number of Iraqi officials and civilians over the last several years.  Hashimi, who proclaims his innocence, fled to Iraqi Kurdistan in December after a warrant was issued for his arrest.  (Source: New York Times)
• Al Qaeda in Iraq releases report detailing its operations in the Anbar and Diyala provinces within the last two months.  These operations included  a number of assassinations of members of the Awakening councils, the police, and the army. (Source: AlSumaria News [Arabic])

List Project Updates:

• Iraqis returning from Syria talk of threats, kidnappings (Source: Al Mada [Arabic])
• Being an organization supporting Iraqis who are often targeted by militant groups, we look at Arabic language websites and forums to find information relating to threats on the ground in Iraq.  Lately, we have seen militant Sunni groups release an increasing amount of literature seeking to paint their foes, including our Iraqi allies, as “double agents,” working for both the U.S. and Iran.

The "victory rally" arranged by the Sadrists on Thursday drew tens of thousands from throughout the country to Baghdad's Sadr City.

• The State Department announces plans to downsize its Iraqi Embassy staff, citing “a belief that a quieter and humbler diplomatic presence could actually result in greater leverage over Iraqi affairs” (Source: New York Times)
• Sadrists hold a Thursday rally celebrating the exit of American forces from the country. In a recorded speech, Moqtada al-Sadr called for unity and peace among Iraqis.  He also called for the government to release resistance fighters.  (Source: The National )
• Human Rights Watch called on the government of Iraq to stop executions. 65 prisoners have been executed since the beginning of the year. (Source: Human Rights Watch)

List Project Updates:

• TLP discusses the latest statement released by the Islamic State of Iraq on our blog.
• Iraqis on our list are not only in a bad situation in Iraq.  With the closing of the U.S. Embassy in Syria this week, Iraqis there are in a tight spot as well.  With violence on the rise and a regime that sees them as a nuisance, or worse, as criminal infiltrators, many Iraqis will choose to flee to Turkey in the coming days and weeks, becoming refugees yet again.

ISI's new campaign: "Now, Now comes Battle"

The Islamic State of Iraq’s “Sheikh” Abu Muhammad al-Adnani released an audio statement in late January, reaffirming the will of the organization to fight and drive out foreign influence in the country, both American and Iranian. Within the almost hour long speech is a threat to our Iraqi allies:

“[Iraq is] a shame upon the history of America! It has been defeated and no longer has the ability for direct confrontation since it signed the withdrawal agreement and fled from the cities to the military bases, to escape the trap of attrition it suffered for many years, and it is now returning to the proxy war. Our fight is still with their agents and their apostate followers, and the rejectionists (“rejectionists” or “rawafidh” in Arabic, is a term Sunni jihadis use to refer to Shia.).”

It is interesting to note that Adnani conflates both the U.S. and Iran as something that needs to be defeated, when in most parts of the world the two countries are seen to be on rather opposite sides of the spectrum. His basic view here is that Iran (and all Iraqi Shia, the “rejectionists” whom he believes to be Iranian proxies) as well as the United States are foreign interlopers interfering with the sovereignty of Iraq. Another reason they are conflated, and maybe the most apparent here, is that they are simply not Sunnis, and are therefore equally scorned.

Adnani’s statements are all the more interesting considering that he himself is most likely not an Iraqi, and one of the many Sunni fundamentalist fighters that have crossed into Iraq to fight American and Iraqi security forces, as well as wage unrelenting havoc on Iraq’s civilian populace.

Note: We will not do ISI the service of linking to a jihadist website. Many of these statements are posted to jihadist internet forums and even to Youtube shortly after their release. With the correct search, you can quickly find a number of links on the statement.

Developments in Iraq

Maysoon al-Damluji, center, an Iraqiya spokeswoman, spoke during a news conference in Baghdad on Sunday. Saad Shalash/Reuters

• Iraq Body Count confirms the deaths of 458 Iraqi civilians in the month of January alone. (Source: Iraq Body Count)
• As a “good-will gesture,” the Sunni bloc “Iraqiyya” ended its boycott of the Parliament, which began hours after the final American troops withdrew in mid-December. (Source: New York Times)
• Iraqis were “outraged” at news of the plea bargain arrangement for the leader of the Haditha killings in late 2005.  (Source: New York Times)
• Iraq drops to 152 out of 179 countries in the world with respect to freedom of the press, in the latest World Press Freedom Index.  (Source: Musings on Iraq)
• The New York Times Editorial Board suggests that the Obama Administration is dishonoring a moral obligation to U.S.-affiliated Iraqis by maintaining such a sclerotic resettlement program.  (Source: New York Times)

List Project Updates

• We launched our new website, at the center of which is our final list: we will be posting details (names redacted, of course) of assassinations, attacks, and other threats made to U.S.-affiliated Iraqis, in order to debunk U.S. Government claims that our Iraqi allies won’t faced increased danger in the wake of our withdrawal. (Link: End Game in Iraq)
• We also announced that an anonymous donor has pledged to match all contributions to the List Project, up to $100,000.  We are already on our way, but need your help – even $5 or $10 – to reach our goal.  (Link: Support Our Work)

© Paddy Molloy

Hello, friends and supporters of TLP.

We’ve just launched our new site, which will be developed over the coming weeks and months principally to document our final effort here at the project: the final list.

For the past two years, we exhorted the Obama administration not to follow the mistakes of previous administrations as it implemented its withdrawal from Iraq.  We saw a very clear crisis forming on the horizon: the bureaucratic process in which our Iraqi allies are struggling to navigate currently takes well over one year to get an Iraqi to safety.  The Departments of State and Homeland Security were already dealing with huge backlogs of applicants before the withdrawal; once we shuttered hundreds of bases, we would ‘cut loose’ many thousand more U.S.-affiliated Iraqis who were no longer needed by our departing forces.

We published a comprehensive report on the history of withdrawal.  We testified before Congress.  We wrote op-eds, and more op-eds.  We met with administration officials and gave them more names.  In the end, the White House decided that its policy would be one of wishful thinking.  They simply don’t agree that our interpreters will be in harm’s way.

Never mind that hundreds, and likely well over a thousand have already been slain over the years.  Never mind that various militias, terrorist groups, and senior clerics have explicitly threatened our Iraqi allies over the past year, telling them that they’ll have no future in Iraq.  This administration ignored the intent of Congress and the warnings of so many in the advocacy community and did no contingency planning.

The consequences are unfolding.  Since the media has withdrawn most of its reporters throughout Iraq, we have decided to make public the threats, assassination attempts, and other relevant incidents that the Iraqis on the List are currently experiencing.  To move this beyond a debate between predictions and wishful thinking, we have decided to start posting the reality.  Whether or not our Government responds remains to be seen.

Please bookmark this page, and start following us on Twitter and Facebook, where we will be posting all updates.

In this final period of the cause, the List Project is compiling a list of assassinations, threats and attacks against those who helped America.  We will be updating this page regularly to demonstrate that this is not conjecture, but reality.  Perhaps then, someone will act.

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter (TLPHQ), where we will also post updates under the hashtag #IraqiAlliesLeftBehind.

Approximate Date	Perpetrator	Description of event	City	Province
1/27/2012	Islamic State of Iraq | "Sheikh" Abu Muhammad al-Adnani	ISI releases an audio statement, reaffirming its will to fight and drive out foreign influence, both American and Iranian. Included in the statement is a threat to our Iraqi allies : "[Iraq is] a shame upon the history of America! It has been defeated and no longer has the ability for direct confrontation since it signed the withdrawal agreement and fled from the cities to the military bases, to escape the trap of attrition it suffered for many years, and it is now returning to the proxy war. Our fight is still with their agents and their apostate followers, and the rejectionists (referring to Iraqi Shia and Iran, who he conflates here to make them seem like disloyal Iraqis).	N/A	N/A
1/25/2012	Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr	Iraqi on the List contacts us to report an attempted assassination. He has since fled his home and gone into hiding.	Baghdad (Al-Mansour)	Baghdad
1/24/2012	Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr	Iraqi contacts TLP to report that JAM attacked a U.S.-affiliated Iraqi who is waiting on a visa, along with his son. The Iraqi police declined to get involved, stating it was a tribal matter.	Baghdad (Mustansiriya)	Baghdad
1/22/2012	N/A	TLP Netroots volunteers report the assassination of a U.S.-affiliated Iraqi, while recovering in the hospital from a bomb attack.	N/A	N/A
1/17/2012	Islamic State of Iraq	A U.S. affiliated Iraqi emails TLP, notifying us that he came home to find a live pistol round at the door of his home, a telltale sign of threats by militants who wish to kill those affiliated with the U.S.	Baghdad(A'zamiyah)	Baghdad
1/13/2012	N/A	Iraqi contact relays that while leaving the International Zone (Green Zone) in Baghdad an unmarked sedan pulled up beside the car he and a colleague were riding in and three young men motioned with pistols for them to stop. After a high speed chase, they were able to reach a security checkpoint and escaped any harm.	Baghdad (International Zone)	Baghdad
12/15/2011	N/A	Iraqi contacts TLP, explaining that he was advised by a relative in Iraqi Army Intelligence that because Iraqi Government info on Iraqis working with U.S. may be given or fall into the wrong hands, that he should be very careful in months ahead.	N/A	N/A
12/12/2011	Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr	Iraqi source in Baghdad tells us of info he received from a high level Iraqi government source, telling him that Sadrists at Al-Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad are seeking to bar any U.S. affiliated Iraqi Interpreters and their family members, deeming them collaborators. Those who perpetrated the threat are remnants of the feared "League of Students" a group of Shia fundamentalist students who in the past have conducted violent campaigns on the campus, raping and killing a number of students and professors in a reign of terror that forced the University to temporarily close its doors in 2009. Some say the group still controls the security at the University and is looking to bar select students	Baghdad	Baghdad
11/24/2011	Iraqi Police	Iraqi who worked with the U.S. contacts TLP, explaining that he had been threatened outside his home by an Iraqi policeman, who told him that he would be beheaded because he was a disloyal traitor and an American puppet.	Baghdad	Baghdad
11/21/2011	Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr	List Project applicant notifies us that her husband was released from his work with the U.S. at the air base in Ramadi, as the Army prepares to hand over the base to Iraqi armed forces. Her husband is now hiding from elements of the Mahdi army, which he says are hunting down U.S. affiliated Iraqis in the area.	Ramadi	Al-Anbar
11/20/2011	N/A	Iraqi Newspaper Sabah al-Jadeed (New Morning) reports from Baquba that Iraqi personnel who have worked with Americans, from government officials to translators, are currently disposing of any photographs or documents that associate them with Americans. This is being done out of fear of retribution from extremists.	Baquba	Diyala
11/16/2011	Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr	More Iraqis contact TLP in desperation regarding rumors that that Jaysh Al-Mahdi will target in force Iraqis who worked with the United States after withdrawal. Allegedly, because of the their ties to the government, they have access to all identification databases for Iraqi workers in the International Zone in Baghdad, allowing them to obtain personal information such as addresses, pictures and phone numbers.	Baghdad	Baghdad
11/11/2011	N/A	Aswat al Iraq reports that 4000 Iraqis working with the United States Army through subcontractors KBR and GLS were released from their jobs on Friday November 11th. The article also noted that the companies did not work to help those seeking to get to the U.S. because of threats, and also released them without a termination bonus.	Nasiriyah	Dhi Qar
11/11/2011	Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr	Press release from Muqtada al-Sadr, in response to a question regarding whether he will work toward the Islamization of society. He vows he will, and also adds that he will not differentiate from Sunni, Shia, Christian, etc, and then made these further qualifying remarks: "I call on everyone to transcend their differences and build a new Iraq, free from the "destructor" (Saddam) and his men, from terrorism and its agents, militias, troops and of the occupation and its clients."	Baghdad	Baghdad
11/03/2011	Grand Ayatollah and Marja Mahmoud Hassani Sorkhi	On October 28th, Grand Ayatollah Mahmoud Hassani Sorkhi released a statement in conjunction with a celebration for Mohammed Sadiq al Sadr, (murdered by Saddam in 1999, and Moqtada's Father) which following the Islamic calender, would be the 13th anniversary of his death. Sorkhi praises Sadr, calls out the U.S. occupation and the corruption it has ushered in. He also tells followers to "Reject the occupation, the invaders and the collaborators, and those who prepared for their arrival and are satisfied with their work. A clear victory to reject the occupation and its presence." Link: Source	Baghdad	Baghdad
10/31/2011	Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr	State Department representative informs Iraqi USAID contractor staff that Muqtada al-Sadr has announced a war on U.S.-affiliated Iraqis and has given them an ultimatum to leave with U.S. by the end of the year. Department of State representative suggests that Iraqi staff take extra security precautions from now on.	Baghdad	Baghdad
9/01/2011	N/A	Iraqi on the List alleges that many assassinations are being carried out in Nasiriyah, and that U.S. affiliated Iraqis are among the main targets.	Nasiriyah	Dhi Qar
9/01/2011	N/A	Iraqi on the List relates a story that he heard about militias having a list of names of Iraqis who have worked for the United States, and that they have been trying to find and kill those Iraqis. Aswat al Iraq reports in October that a security source in Diwaniyah confirmed that there was a list of persons of influence that militants were seeking to assassinate. The article also added that nine people had been assassinated within the timeframe of one month	Diwaniyah	Al-Qadisiyyah
09/01/2011	Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr	Threat against USAID contractor causes them to inform their Iraqi staff that they will move their compound to a more secure location.	Baghdad	Baghdad
12/8/2011	Iraqi Army	Iraqi newspaper al-aalam reports that 12 Iraqi U.S. Army interpreters were allegedly arrested by the Iraqi Army during a recent base transfer ceremony in the province of Diyala. The List Project has not been able to verify that this event took place.	N/A	Diyala
6/30/2011	Association of Muslim Scholars | Harith Al-Dhari	Harith Al-Dhari, leader of Iraq's Association of Muslim Scholars, and known as a spiritual leader among Iraq's Sunni Insurgency, released a statement to his followers on June 30th, the 91st anniversary of the 1920 Iraqi revolt against the British occupation. In it he praised the resistance to the U.S. and expressed the following: "Do not fall into the temptation of the invaders, the invaders and their agents who prefer money over law. They betrayed the interests of Iraq and its people."	N/A	N/A
06/23/2011	Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr	Attack on U.S. convoy headed to Mustansiriyah University, killing one American and injuring another. As a result, one prominent security contractor forbids trips to any areas controlled by Sadrists	Baghdad	Baghdad

We at the List Project had hoped that our report “Tragedy on the Horizon,” issued in May of 2010, would be enough of a warning flare for all who have worked on this issue.  In it, we examined the history of withdrawal, including what happened in Vietnam, Laos, Algeria (following 131 years of French occupation), WWII, and post-Revolution America.  The lessons were clear and simple: hope for the best, but plan for the worst.  Hardly any withdrawal in human history has occurred without a campaign of violence against the locals who collaborated with the departing power.

After at least 1,000 interpreters (the actual number is likely far higher) have been slain because they worked for America, and after the British withdrawal resulted in the tragedy of a public execution of British-affiliated Iraqis, it is incomprehensible to us why the Obama administration believes that there is no need to plan ahead.

We hope that we will be proven embarrassingly wrong in our predictions, and that no more bloodshed occurs by the hand of the militias who have just recently stated that U.S.-affiliated Iraqis have no future inside Iraq.  But we cannot blind ourselves to the most basic lessons of history…

The first and most obvious one is that with the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, these Iraqis have lost or will lose their means of employment. However, it also means that these Iraqis will abruptly be forced to try and reintegrate into their former communities, where some may be the target of discrimination and potential death.  Indeed, many Iraqis who have already been laid off and had their bases closed down are now on the run and hiding from militants.

Another potential issue, and one that a great many Iraqis who have contacted us fear, is that their employment records will be used by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and security forces to hunt them down after the United States fully withdraws.  This fear is not without merit.  Article 10 of the Status of Forces agreement, which deals with contracting procedures, stipulates that the United States “should inform Iraqi authorities of the Iraqi contractors and suppliers and the value of their contracts.”  This is essentially for tax purposes, but the new Iraqi government and security forces have had a history of infiltration by militant elements, which leads some to worry that the info could easily fall into the wrong hands.

After the initial invasion of Iraq and the re-building of its government, many groups infiltrated the Iraqi government and security forces, seeking to use their positions to go after their enemies.  One glaring instance of this was the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq’s Badr Brigade, which had infiltrated the Interior ministry and operated death squads which sought out Iraqi Sunnis.

The fear is that today in Iraq this same cycle is repeating itself.  There have been reports that the government of Nouri al-Maliki is absorbing remnants of the Sadrist Mahdi army into the Iraqi government.  The Sadrists and Mahdi army have no love for Iraqis who have worked with the U.S., and recent rhetoric seems to indicate they may seek out these Iraqis in the future.

Whatever the case may be, Iraqis who have worked for the United states will carry with them the stigma of “traitor” or “collaborator.”  ”America” is still a dirty word in many parts of Iraq, and will be for some time.

The National reports that:

An arrangement with the government designed to entice the Sadrists to abandon militancy may already be unfolding, according to Iraqi media reports. Hundreds of Mahdi Army fighters have joined security services, some at high ranks, even though they are less qualified than other applicants, the reports say.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, two Iraqi government civil servants with knowledge of recruitment practices confirmed that such a deal had been struck. They said government staff had been told to approve job applications submitted by former Mahdi Army fighters, in preference to similar applications by ordinary Iraqis.

The militants “are being taken into the interior ministry, the defence ministry, the air force, the border guards, Baghdad operations command, everywhere,” said one of the officials.

Maliki may have come to this agreement as a way to curry favor with the Sadrists, who have been critical of him at times.  For their part, the Sadrists may have also pushed the alleged agreement forward, in order to leverage for more influence within the government.  Either way, the agreement would seem to be mutually beneficial to both in the short term.

For many Iraqis however, this is anything but good news.  As the List Project has detailed in the past, the Mahdi army was complicit in many deaths and reprisal killings of Iraqis throughout the war, including a large number of Iraqis who had worked  for the United States and were thus deemed “collaborators” and “agents of the occupation.”

According to the List Project’s sources in Iraq, the Mahdi army and its remnants are still very much a threat to these Iraqis.  Moqtada al-Sadr himself has made it clear in many statements and speeches that there is no room in Iraq for Iraqis who worked with the United States. Today, reprisal killings still take place daily, and we have received many recent reports of our Iraqi clients hiding from what they say are groups of Mahdi Army men seeking them out.

If these Mahdi militiamen are integrated into the Iraqi security forces, it will put their already endangered lives even more at risk.

Iraq gives Mahdi militants preferential treatment - The National