Baghdad handover

There were celebrations throughout Baghdad and other Iraqi cities today as American forces officially handed over control to Iraqi security forces — six years after the U-S led invasion. Anchor Lisa Mullins finds out what’s happening from Sahar Issa, the Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy newspapers.
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[SOUND CLIP OF MUSIC]

LISA MULLINS: I’m Lisa Mullins and this is The World.

[SOUND CLIP IN ARABIC]

LISA MULLINS: Today has been a day of celebration in Iraq. Street parties marked the handover of Baghdad and other cities from American to Iraqi forces. President Obama said the festivities make a powerful statement.

BARACK OBAMA: The very fact that Iraqis are celebrating this day is a testament to the courage, the capability, and commitment of every single American who has served in Iraq.

LISA MULLINS: But there was more violence in Iraq today. A car bomb exploded in the northern city of Kirkuk, at least 25 people were killed. Sahar Issa is an Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy newspapers; she’s in Baghdad where she saw some Iraqis in celebration.

SAHAR ISSA: It is State prompted celebrations. And when we went out today, myself, my colleagues, we went to every neighborhood in Baghdad. We did not see with our own eyes, or hear with our own ears people celebrating. We saw that the security forces, some of them, had decorated their cars. The Police Force had decorated their cars. There were ribbons, and in some neighborhoods the cars of the military were also decorated. They were greeting people, they were giving candy. We heard and we saw on State TV that some young ladies were carrying baskets with flowers and candy to give, but we, with our own eyes, and with our own ears, witnessed no such thing.

LISA MULLINS: What are the images of hope that you’re seeing? What is around you that feels optimistic

SAHAR ISSA: The people we have spoken to and the people we have seen in the streets, they hope, and they put hope upon hope that perhaps after all the US forces will one day leave. They must understand that everyone has been very skeptical about it actually taking place. This is the hope. They were very skeptical, and now they see that this first step has actually taken place. They never thought it possible that one day American forces, American military convoys, hooting down the streets, will be gone. And today, they look around, and they feel that this is taking place. They are still skeptical, they will see what will happen in a month. But there is hope at the bottom of it all.

LISA MULLINS: At the same time, I know people there are very much aware of what’s happening to the north of Baghdad. In places like Kirkuk, the oil rich city where today, as we said there was a car bomb. A massive and quite lethal car bomb. This is not unexpected, but how do Iraqis understand incidents like that, and how are Americans listening to understand them?

SAHAR ISSA: Iraqis have been through quite a lot, Lisa. They understand that there is a price to be paid for everything. If we are to have independence, someday the American forces of course must leave. And if it means that the contenders will have to fight it out, and then reach stability, then we’ll just have to fight it out and we will in time reach stability. The thing is, the confidence in the establishment itself. Whether their intentions are real, whether their credibility is high. Why in six years the questions asked over and over again, why in six the Iraqi government is pushing for it, and the American military forces have been, have undertaken to do it. In terms of preparing Iraqi security forces, it has no trading went forward very far, why?

LISA MULLINS: [TALKS OVER] Does that mean that people don’t have confidence in the ability of the Iraqi security to take over where the Americans are leaving off? I mean, the Americans will be on the sidelines at this point, so their not that far away. But do Iraqis generally have confidence in their government and in the security there?

SAHAR ISSA: Generally, they are skeptical, and they are still skeptical for two reasons. One, as I told you previously, that they believe that the Iraqi security forces are infiltrated. This establishment, the Iraqi government has been upon sectarian quota. This happened when Paul Bremer declared that it should be. That means everything that is taking place is according to sectarian quota. The Iraqi security forces, generally speaking are Shiite-led That is why the certain neighborhoods were left to fester, thus the creation of the [Fower?] or the Awakening Movement. What is happening now? Now, of course, the Awakening Movement has been crippled one way or the other. It was supposed to be that 20 percent of them were to be incorporated into the security forces, but basically almost two percent, maybe a little bit more, have been incorporated. What does that mean? That means that the security forces will remain in the eyes of the people almost a sectarian tool.

LISA MULLINS: Are you, as a journalist and as an Iraqi, going to be looking for a sign that Iraq has emerged from this crisis? Is there some tell tale sign that you will be watching for?

SAHAR ISSA: I believe, if I can see that Sunni neighborhoods will be safely patrolled by the Iraqi security forces, and if there will cooperation between the Sunnis in those neighborhoods, and the Iraqi security forces, I think that will be a mile stone.

LISA MULLINS: Sahar Issa, thank you very much.

SAHAR ISSA: Thank you very much for having me.

LISA MULLINS: Sahar Issa reports from Baghdad for the McClatchy newspapers.

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