Fundamentalists want to take us over, Allawi warns

IRAQ is facing a battle with fundamentalist organisations who want to take over the country, prime minister Alad Allawi warned yesterday.

Mr Allawi said Iraq’s new security forces were fighting heroically to restore order but they faced determined enemies who would press ahead with further attacks.

Speaking on a visit to inspect a training academy for Iraq’s new specialist police units, he said he believed that the problems the country faced could be overcome and that Iraq could become one of the world’s leading countries.

Yesterday, Iraq’s new ambassador to the United Nations, Samir Sumaida’ie, warned that the country risked becoming a "super rogue state" unless Britain and America were prepared to send significantly more forces to help overcome the militants who have seized control of a number of Iraqi cities.

Mr Sumaida’ie blamed many of Iraq’s problems on interference from its neighbours, notably Iran and Syria, and he said those who wanted coalition forces to pull out were being shortsighted.

Mr Allawi visited a police training academy at Camp Dublin near Baghdad airport yesterday morning to see for himself the progress that had been made by coalition forces in establishing new units to take on terrorists and criminals who were taking advantage of the disorder.

Flanked by Brigadier Andrew Mackay, the Scot who had been handed the task of rebuilding the Iraqi police force, and US General Dave Petraeus, he spoke to members of a bomb investigation squad - one of whom had lost an arm when a device he was working on blew up - and the emergency response unit, which has been set up to conduct SWAT-team operations against suspects.

"You must be ready because we have battles ahead of us," he told them. "We must secure this country and your efforts will be very important. The most important thing that faces Iraq now is terrorism. We are facing a number of fundamentalist organisations who want to take over Iraq."

He told the bomb disposal unit: "Your effort will be very important to us chasing murderers.

"Our country is facing some problems but, God willing, we will be victorious. Our country will be one of the most important countries in the region and the world.

"God willing, we will get back the original Iraq."

Mr Allawi was wearing a bandage on his right hand, an injury he explained had been caused when he hammered his fist on a table in anger during a heated argument.

He told the police officers they would be given all the equipment they needed. But police in Baghdad yesterday voiced concerns that they did not have the weapons they needed to take on the militias and insurgents.