Iraq arrests 2 Sunni leaders, raising fears of violence

Iraqi government security forces arrested two prominent Sunni leaders in Diyala Province on Monday, according to local security officials, leading to renewed concerns that sectarian tensions in the area could once again erupt into greater violence. One of those arrested, Sheik Riyadh al-Mujami, is a prominent figure in the local Awakening Council, a movement led by Sunni tribal leaders who decided to stop fighting the Americans and cooperate with them against Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, a largely homegrown group that is believed to have foreign leadership. The Awakening movement played a crucial role in reducing the violence in Iraq over the past two years, but some Sunni leaders have complained that the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has broken its promise to integrate their members in the country's security forces. They also have expressed concern that the government regards them as a threat, and that it is planning attacks on Awakening members as the American military reduces its activities in Iraq. The other man arrested, Abdul Jabbar al-Khazraji, is the head of the leading Sunni bloc of politicians on the Diyala Provincial Council. He was arrested after police officers from the Interior Ministry surrounded the building in Diyala where he worked. Both men are being held in Baghdad and have been charged with "committing crimes against civilians," a local security official said. Ghassan al-Hayali, a leading Awakening official in Diyala, complained even before the arrests that there was a secret informer program aimed at providing the two accusations of criminal acts that are needed to swear out an arrest warrant against a council member. Dozens of Awakening members have fled from their villages near Baquba, he said, since the government began a major military campaign in the province several weeks ago. More than 30,000 troops and police officers have poured into the province as a part of the operation, Iraqi military officials said. Mr. Hayali said Awakening leaders believed that arrest warrants had been issued for more than 1,000 Sunni tribal figures and council members, leading some 300 members to quit. Local security officials have said that there is no campaign against Awakening members and they have tried to reassure local leaders that no one will be arrested without evidence. American and Iraqi officials say that with more than 50,000 Awakening members spread across the country, the number of people arrested to date is relatively small, though they would not say how many had been detained. Tensions between the leaders of the Awakening Councils and Mr. Maliki's Shiite-led government have existed since the creation of the groups. That is not a surprise, given that the ranks of the councils are filled with former insurgents. The Americans had organized the councils and until recently were their chief patrons, paying members $300 monthly stipends. Now, the Iraqi government is paying them, and there is a concern that the Americans will no longer provide them with protection. Diyala Province, which is north and east of Baghdad, has long been one of the most violent parts of Iraq and has been one of the harder places for the government to secure. Diyala notwithstanding, however, violence across the country remains at its lowest levels since 2003. Mr. Maliki could be rewarded for those gains when voters go to the polls this winter to choose a new Parliament and prime minister. An Iraqi federal court on Monday set a date of Jan. 30 for national elections. It will be the first time voters have the opportunity to select a new Parliament since 2005, when Mr. Maliki came to power. A spate of deadly bombings last month highlighted the fragility of the security gains. On Sunday, three bombings in Baghdad killed 3 people and wounded 19. In Basra on Monday, a roadside bomb killed a senior police officer in charge of training at the local police academy, a local security official said.