Several Sunni Arab organisations have announced the formation of an alliance of religious, political and tribal groups to push for a stronger role in the country’s Shia-dominated power structure.

The bloc aims at unifying Sunnis and organising their participation in the country's future political process.

Head of the Waqf al-Sunni (Sunni Endowments) Adnan al-Dulaymi said Sunni Arabs had a duty to participate in the coming political process, namely the writing of a constitution.

"Arab Sunnis will participate in the political process to maintain the Iraqi identity and to prevent marginalising Sunnis or degrading them," he added.

The new Sunni group's first act was to demand the interior minister resign.

Calling for resignation

A statement issued after some 1000 representatives of the disempowered community gathered in Baghdad accused the Interior Minister Bayan Jabr - a member of the Shia community - of being responsible for the assassination of several Sunnis, including three imams.

"We ask for the creation of an independent investigation team to look into the murders, the torture of detainees and we demand the interior minister's dismissal," the statement said.

"We condemn the raids and arrests of imams and worshippers in mosques under the cover of law," the document also said.

But Jabr lashed back saying: "No one has the right to call for the resignation of a minister, only parliament can do that. Those who didn't get one vote have no right to ask," he said, referring to the fact that many Sunnis stayed away from 30 January elections either in protest or fear of attacks.

"We did not practice killing against anyone," he added.

Violence continues unabated

The formation of the Sunni bloc, however, did little to quell violence in the country.

Twelve troops from the Iraqi interior ministry's elite commando unit were killed in a string of attacks in towns north of Baghdad on Saturday, security sources said.

Four commandos and a civilian were killed in a bomb attack in Samarra, 125km north of the capital, police said.

"Two more commandos were killed in a rocket attack on a police station in the city centre moments later," the same source said.

In Baiji further north, six other members of the commando battalion al-Raad (Thunder) were shot dead in intense fighting that broke out in the key oil refinery town's industrial zone, police colonel Saad Nufus said.

Recommend this article...

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto: