The Iraqi Government’s Failure: A Perspective from Mosul

There are many factors that led the Iraqi Army to abandon Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, one week ago. They include incompetence, a bad reputation, and no affiliation with the people of Mosul.

Since 2003, we have been accused of harboring terrorists and supporting militants. We have been subjected to all kinds of aggression and humiliation. I remember the night militants came to our neighborhood in Mosul and launched a missile. After they completed their operation, a group of Iraqi soldiers arrived and called all the people to the street. They insulted and threatened us by pointing their guns to our chests and heads.

Telling my experience with the Iraqi Army does not mean that I support what ISIS, militants, and other insurgents (name them as you like) have done. But in order to give a logical explanation to what happened in Mosul a week ago, I must share some of my experiences to give this story context.

I live in a neighborhood that has one entrance and one exit. The reason we have one entrance and one exist is that the army blocked all other streets because they believe that they can prevent the terrorists’ activities this way. Yes, it worked for a while and people were relatively safe inside our neighborhood. However, soon insurgents found a way to conduct their operations from inside and outside the neighborhood. Whose fault is this? The civilians or the army? And in such a situation, how should the army react and what should civilians do?

My brother was 26 when he was assassinated by an unknown group. He was a pharmacist. He used to work at a pharmacy close to our home. One day in 2010, at 8 pm, I received a phone call from a friend telling me that my brother was shot. When I arrived I found my brother already dead. Five minutes later, the army came and I expected them to do something. But the soldiers just looked at me and my friends. I asked one of them do something. However, he said that he could not do anything. I was sure that the killers were still in the neighborhood and the army could easily catch them because the military checkpoints were everywhere. Unfortunately, the Iraqi Army did not take the responsibility to find and arrest my brother’s killers. Additionally, although my brother was a victim, my family, friends and all people who where there were then accused of facilitating what the killers did.

My uncle lives next to my house. On another occasion, we spotted some suspicious activities and we saw a small missile ready to launch. My uncle immediately reported the incident and the army came and defused it. After two days, my uncle got a call from an anonymous man telling him that they knew he made the report and that they knew everything about him. He was told if he wanted to keep his head safe, next time do not report. We were all terrified and wondered who told the insurgents that we reported. Yet, before we ask ourselves how the insurgents knew that my uncle reported, we must ask ourselves how the missile got inside our neighborhood! Keep in mind our neighborhood is subjected to regular searches. So, the big question is “do you trust this army anymore?” I understand that it is difficult to search every car that enters, or to completely prevent the smuggling of arms into a neighborhood, yet the people cannot put their lives in danger because of an incompetent army.

In 2009 a friend of mine was arrested by the Iraqi Army without any warrant. Apparently the army relied on information from a person who was beaten by the soldiers to confess. The man who was beaten told the army that my friend had been accused of suspicious activities. When the two met in jail, the man apologized and said he was beaten horribly and I told them your name to make it stop. However, the story did not end there. My friend was held in prison for six months where he too was subjected to systematic torture such as pulling nails, breaking ribs, and sleep deprivation. When he was released he was arrested again after two months when an explosion took place close to his house. Once the court released him after six months, he left Iraq and is now living as a refugee in Turkey. He is only one of many.

Other incidences include times when  the army would not allow ambulances to come and take the injured away after an explosion and the closing of parking lots for unknown reasons. When we would park our cars on the streets, soldiers would come and vandalize our cars!

I am neither a military expert nor am I a politician; but if I was the Iraqi Army fighting terrorists, I would try to ensure that the civilians are on my side, not against me!

So what happened in Mosul? Many people believe that ISIS or other militants and insurgents are the problem. However, one perspective inside Mosul is that ISIS and other militants and insurgents, as well as the deterioration of our security, are consequences of Prime Minister Noori al Maliki’s poor policy choices. For years, parliamentarians from Mosul and the Governor of Mosul have asked to be in charge of security and to form a brigade exclusively from Mosul. Although the constitution stipulates that the Governor has the right to manage a city’s security, the Prime Minister has insisted against this and thus he has disregarded the Governor’s opinion. The Prime Minister appointed unqualified army personnel and local police generals to secure Mosul. And they failed to do so.

One may argue and say that the army should be controlled by the Prime Minister. Keep in mind, however, that Iraq just got out of a civil or sectarian war and tensions still exist. The people of Mosul had no say in managing the security of their city. It is no surprise the army disappeared in four hours. The soldiers and their generals know what they have done and they know very well that the people of Mosul do not support them.

Today we see people from Mosul celebrating and carrying the flag of ISIS. They are not representative of Mosul. Three million people live in Mosul and the overwhelming majority are against ISIS and their extremists views of Islam. Moreover, as friends who are actually living in Mosul right now say, “It is not just ISIS, there are many different groups who have devoted themselves to overthrow the current government.”

 If ISIS has the power to control three Iraqi cities in only a week, why would they not have captured Syria a year ago? What I hope to express is that people from Mosul need  leaders who listen to their pain and suffering, who listen to their grievances. People from Mosul want their dignity back. They need respect and a professional army who is able to provide security, “not be a sword on civilians’ necks” as we say in Iraq.

In conclusion, all armed groups, including ISIS, should not be viewed as the problem. These groups would not be active and powerful if the Iraqi Army gained the people’s trust and support. These armed groups are a result of the government policy that marginalized people and did not give its citizens the chance to really take part in governing the country.

Ibn al-Mosul is from the city of Mosul.  He studied management information systems  at Mosul University  and  came to the USA to do his master’s in public administration. He believes all Iraqis have a responsibility for rebuilding the country.