Dozens of men lined up for the third day on Wednesday to hand over their weapons at police stations in the Iraqi capital’s Sadr City slum in line with an initiative by radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi hailed the programme as the first step to restoring security and stability to Sadr City, which has been the scene of off-and-on violence for the past six months.
”I am happy to inform you that weapons are being handed in as promised,” Allawi told the country’s interim national council.
”In return we are prepared to carry out our promises by releasing prisoners and stopping military operations in Sadr City, but that does require that the other side keep its promises.”
The government responded positively to an initiative by al-Sadr to hand over medium-sized and heavy weapons in return for the release of the movement’s detainees from United States-run prisons and the end to arrests of its partisans and leaders.
It was a scene of chaos at the drop-off centre at Al-Nasr police station as police officers argued with men carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles and mortar launchers loaded in big sacks.
Those bringing the weapons were demanding to be paid immediately, while police officers tried to explain that they would first be given vouchers and the money later in the afternoon.
”Forget this, I am going to go bury my weapons in my back yard if they do not give me cash right away,” said a teenager as he walked away with a rifle.
Nonetheless, it was busy inside as dozens of men swarmed around a police officer taking note of every weapon that was handed over.
Hamza Abdul Khalik (21), who fought in Sadr’s Mehdi Army militia against US forces, stood with two of his companions next to a stack of about 25 Kalashnikovs, three big bags of ammunition and two mortar launchers.
”The sayed [Sadr] ordered this,” he said, using a religious term of respect.
A room at the Nasr station was already piled up with weapons and ammunition.
Most of the weapons collected there and at the nearby Al-Habibiya station, which was not accepting weapons on Wednesday, were being transported by Iraqi national guardsmen to the larger Al-Jazayer station further away.
At Al-Jazayer cars filled with weapons in their trunks were lining up for the handover as Iraqi security forces kept the media at bay.
The weapons handover is expected to run until Friday, after which Iraqi forces backed by US troops will conduct searches and sweeps in Sadr City to verify the extent of disarmament.
Allawi confirmed that the search operations will start next week.
The interim Iraqi government and US military hope the weapons handover can help bring lasting security and stability to Sadr City.
Despite the cautious optimism on all sides, a US military commander in the area warned on Tuesday that some elements within the Sadr movement are against the peace initiative. — Sapa-AFP