JOURNAL: The Haditha TAZ

Haditha, a town of 90,000 people only a three hour drive north-west of Baghdad, has developed into a full blown temporary autonomous zone (TAZ) like Fallujah. As a TAZ it is totally independent of the central government's control and constitutional process. Its management (under Islamic law) is in the hands of Emirs from the guerrilla groups Ansar-al-Sunna and Tawhid al-Jihad (al Qaeda in Iraq). These groups drove out the Shia-dominated police force sent to impose control over the town last year. Omer Mahdi of the Guardian reports that the guerrillas have been able to use mafia-style pressure on the local power plant (at the Haditha Dam pictured above) to ensure that the town gets 24-hours a day of electricity. This is in contrast to the 8-9 hours a day of electricity the rest of the country gets. The ability to deliver basic services, when the central government cannot, generates legitimacy.

Comments

They're creating an neo-Caliphate...

[GregB]

Delivering basic services is the key. Any attempt to "retake" the town by the central government or US would result in less service for the residents - guaranteeing more support and sympathy for the TAZ, less for the central government.

[Opinionated Bastard]

Haditha has been a problem area lately, but my understanding is that the recent operations there have been able to pacify more of that area. Previous operations in that area just sort of temporarily dislodged the terrorists, while the latest operation by hitting multiple areas at multiple times helped remove places of refuge.

I notice that there haven't been any fatalities in Haditha since then...

[Opinionated Bastard]

Also, the average is just under 12 hours/day this month, its been steadily improving since June...

[John Robb]

The massive IED that killed 14 Marines and the sniper ambush that killed 6 more took place there earlier this month. Not much time has passed since then to judge improvement (although the Guardian freelancer I mentioned was just there and saw the militants in control).

Also, glad to see that there has been some progress on the electricity front (although we have been there before and seen it decline rapidly due to a de minimus number of attacks).

[Vince]

Progress on the electricity front...for the guerillas !
Another very successful power disruption leading to oil exports stop:
http://www.forbes.com/business/manufacturing/feeds/ap/2005/08/22/ap2187891.html

John, is this your source for the 24 hours of electricity?

"Last year the US trumpeted its rehabilitation of a nearby power plant: 'The incredible progress at Haditha is just one example of the huge strides made by the US army corps of engineers.'

Now insurgents earn praise from residents for allegedly pressuring managers to supply electricity almost 24 hours a day, a luxury denied the rest of Iraq."

--- If so, my understanding is that the Haditha Dam is under the control of the US Marine Reserve Forces. How would the above statement on the "insurgents earn[ing] praise from residents" have any meaning?

Thanks.

Hassan Yahyah Hassan, 53, the dam manager who has been working at the dam for two decades.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050614/news_1n14dam.html

[John Robb]

The Marines provide security. The operation of the plant, and most Iraqi infrastructure are Iraqis. They go home at night, have relatives, etc. That is how pressure is applied.

That the US gets zero credit for the dam's ongoing operation is self-evident. I wish that it were otherwise, but that is how the world works.

BTW, please at least provide a nom de guerre on comment posts. The blank comments are a pain since it doesn't provide a good context for discussion/reply.

I like "Posted by: | **/**/2005" - so I will not post anymore...

[Cardenio]

I still think " temporary autonomous zone " sounds like way too much fun.

Haditha sounds like the perfect situation for the use of a neutron bomb. Will they do it ?

[a z]

If only the insurgents could use a TAZ in a more positive fashion. The romantic idea of Bey's TAZ and Catalonia in 1936 doesn't need to materialize, but winning support for moral legitimacy, not fear, would be best. Alas, all we get is more cynical killing.

[Jeremiah]

It's interesting how easy it is for them to throw monkey wrenches in the works. Infrastructural warfare favors the aggressor, and is next to impossible to defend against.

Look how much trouble the IRA caused, and how few in number they were. They hadn't even really developed system attacks.

[Cardenio]

It's a quick calculation I think.

RISK TO ME
------------- = MORAL LEGIT
WHAT DO I GET
OUT OF THIS

" Winning Support for Moral Legitimacy " is what Great Leader will be doing this week.

I think the right side of the equation is going to come out a " + ".

He could wear a gorilla suit and ride a unicycle around on the stage while singing " A-hab the A-rab " and it would still come out a " + ".

And so it goes and the oil flows.

[Ryan]

Hey Cindy Sheelan wannabe, those comments you made are irrelevant.

[Vince]

Fresh news on the electricty front from Reuters alert : http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/75cf4d834748868e197f8e04d1d68773.htm

"Iraqis are still suffering from power shortages countrywide – receiving less than four hours of electricity daily – despite the government's recent announcement that more money would be spent on this sector.

"The government has forgotten about essential services like water and power," said Farah Mustany, a mother of four in Baghdad. "We are thirsty for power because we are suffering and our children were suffering as we don't have basic facilities."

[jp morgan]

I am a Marine who recently returned from Iraq and was stationed at the dam. I have a Purple Heart and I know the city of Haditha as well as the surrounding cities of Haqlaniyah and Barwanah very well.

It is true that the power is on most of the time. I can only remember a few times when it went off.

While the Iraqies perform basic maintenance and upkeep on the dam, I would call it a stretch to say that they decide who gets power when. They are very much under the supervision of the Marines who are there and the Azerbajiani guards who secure the perimeter of the dam.

By no means do they act unsupervised or without oversite.