Iraq 'sleeper cells' fight Islamic State group

[webfact]

AP Interview: Iraq 'sleeper cells' fight Islamic State group
By SAMEER N. YACOUB

BAGHDAD (AP) — "Sleeper cells" made up of former Iraqi police officers and soldiers are tipping off authorities to Islamic State group positions in the northern city of Mosul, a prominent lawmaker has told The Associated Press.

The comments by Hakim al-Zamili, the head of parliament's security and defense committee, are the first high-level confirmation of the groups' existence after weeks of rumors.

Their work remains incredibly dangerous as the Islamic State group has shut down mobile phone networks and regularly kills suspected government collaborators. However, their intelligence could prove invaluable as the U.S.-led coalition steps up airstrikes around Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, to disrupt Islamic State group supply lines ahead of an expected operation later this year to take back the city from militants

"Those patriotic groups, some operate from inside the city of Mosul and others from the areas surrounding it, are now giving us information about the military preparations being made by Islamic State group in order to face any attack by government forces to retake the city," al-Zamili told the AP.

The Islamic State group captured Mosul in August during its blitz across northern Iraq. The militants now hold about a third of both Iraq and neighboring Syria in its self-declared caliphate.

Many soldiers and police officers dropped their weapons and fled during the extremists' initial offensive. Now, however, some have begun spying on behalf of the Iraqi government, al-Zamili said. Resentment among Mosul residents over all has grown as prices of most food staples have more than doubled, kerosene is in short supply and militants have banned alcohol and cigarettes.

In late November, the Islamic State group blocked all mobile phone networks in Mosul, accusing informants in the city of tipping off coalition and Iraqi forces to their whereabouts. The move caused chaos across Mosul.

Typically, informants leave Mosul and head to higher altitudes to get a network signal so they can make calls, al-Zamili said. Their information then gets passed to Iraqi security commanders in charge of airstrikes and military operation in Nineveh province, the lawmaker said. So far, the information has not been shared with U.S.-led forces, he said.

"We receive a lot of useful information from Mosulis who are becoming fed-up with the militants and this is the reason why the IS group blocked all mobile phone networks in the city," he said.

In recent days, coalition airstrikes pounded at least two dozen locations around Mosul, destroying dozens of vehicles, buildings, fighting positions and insurgent units. The airstrikes, said one senior military official, are the start of a new phase, and military leaders are watching to see how the militants respond. The official was not authorized to discuss the operations publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

Any offensive to retake Mosul likely remains months away. However, al-Zamili said the intelligence helps. To encourage others, he said Iraq's parliament is considering laws to reinstate soldiers and police officers who served under former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein but have taken the "honorable stance" in cooperating with Iraqi authorities battling the Islamic State group.
___

Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-01-26

[arjunadawn]

This would not be called "Sleeper Cells." This is called "Stay Behind Operations."

[JockPieandBeans]

Sleeper cells would be the operative word. That is the only thing they are good at, sleeping.

taken the "honorable stance" in cooperating with Iraqi authorities battling the Islamic State group.

Nothing, whatsoever to do with any " honourable stance " More like p!ssed off that their own nefarious activities have been curtailed.

[pkspeaker]

"Those patriotic groups, some operate from inside the city of Mosul and others from the areas surrounding it, are now giving us information about the military preparations being made by Islamic State group in order to face any attack by government forces to retake the city," al-Zamili told the AP.

"patriotic group"-there's the problem, cooperating with a foreign military that has made iraq into a neo-imperialist possession is not likely considered 'patriotism' by most iraqi's, especially the Sunni's , most people would consider that a treachery group.

[DPIZZA]

"Those patriotic groups, some operate from inside the city of Mosul and others from the areas surrounding it, are now giving us information about the military preparations being made by Islamic State group in order to face any attack by government forces to retake the city," al-Zamili told the AP.

"patriotic group"-there's the problem, cooperating with a foreign military that has made iraq into a neo-imperialist possession is not likely considered 'patriotism' by most iraqi's, especially the Sunni's , most people would consider that a treachery group.

Here we go again...

continue to blame the west for the barbaric behavior of the people in Iraq, while forgetting that ISIS forces themselve constitute foreign extremist Muslims from all over the world...

it's not the west fault for the hatred and mistrust of the Shia and Sunni Islamic sects of each other...They been bashing, hating and fighting each other since the split in Islam more then 1000 years ago!

America was already gone from Iraq, But we all know that if these guys will be left to build up power, sooner or later they will be in America with dozens of 9/11 .

I guess that decades of living under ruthless Arab dictator and their propaganda machine take their toll. I just can't wait when you guys going to blame Israel for this... oh, some already did...

[Seastallion]

Oh, good ......just confirm to the enemy that the informants are ex-police, and then tell them that they travel to the surrounding hills to make their informative calls.

How many patrols will now be detailed to sit in those same hills?

How many houses searched that reveal any sort of ex-police paraphernalia, an old photo of an uncle in uniform perhaps, will result in summary execution?

Seems incredibly stupid to me to publicise any sort of information that could help the enemy.

[Morch]

"Those patriotic groups, some operate from inside the city of Mosul and others from the areas surrounding it, are now giving us information about the military preparations being made by Islamic State group in order to face any attack by government forces to retake the city," al-Zamili told the AP.

"patriotic group"-there's the problem, cooperating with a foreign military that has made iraq into a neo-imperialist possession is not likely considered 'patriotism' by most iraqi's, especially the Sunni's , most people would consider that a treachery group.

The issue would be more with defining what a patriotic Iraqi should identify with. In as much as Iraq is nation, most Iraqis are Shia. So they may resent Western influence and interference, but with IS looming, probably less objections and harsh attitudes toward anything that might curb the horde. IS itself being sometimes considered as a foreign power, this may currently be more a choice between two unfavorable options, as far as most Iraqis go.

As for Iraq's Sunni population, so far it does not seem that they all favor living under IS rule - so once again, the "most" bit is not really supported by much.

[Morch]

Oh, good ......just confirm to the enemy that the informants are ex-police, and then tell them that they travel to the surrounding hills to make their informative calls.

How many patrols will now be detailed to sit in those same hills?

How many houses searched that reveal any sort of ex-police paraphernalia, an old photo of an uncle in uniform perhaps, will result in summary execution?

Seems incredibly stupid to me to publicise any sort of information that could help the enemy.

For starters, it could be an inexpensive attempt at disinformation - there is no guarantee that there are, actually, any such cells. Also, it is very doubtful that IS needs to rely on such media reports in order to counter such activities.

Would do well to pay attention to the source, not someone who would care to bits about the safety of such alleged operatives:

Hakim Abbas Mousa Abbas al-Zamili is an Iraqi politician from the Sadrist Movement who was deputy Health Minister from May 2006 until April 2007.

al-Zamili was deputy minister during the height of the sectarian conflict in Iraq. Whilst he was at the ministry, he was accused of running death squads that used ambulances and hospitals to kidnap and murder Sunni Arabs. He was arrested in February 2007, accusing of funneling money to private militias. He was also accused of kidnapping in November 2006 another deputy Health Minister, Ammar al-Saffar, from the Shiite Dawa Party, who had allegedly compiled a dossier of his crimes that he was going to hand over to the Prime Minister. He was cleared of all charges when key witnesses failed to show up after facing alleged intimidation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakim_al-Zamili