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Eagle-eyed residents get on the phone the moment
they spot anything they think might be insurgent
activity.
Sulaimaniyah security officials credit vigilant
residents for ensuring this northern city stays free
of the violence that plagues the rest of Iraq.
Up to 70 people call the authorities each day to
report suspicious incidents. Though some tips don't
check out - such as the car with blood on its tires
that turned out to be from the chicken slaughtered
in honour of the new vehicle - others have saved
lives .
In August 2004, a suicide bomber in a black BMW was
planning to hit the popular Sulaimaniyah Palace
hotel where many foreigners stay, IWPR was told by a
security official who wished to remain anonymous. It
was information from hotel guards, residents and
security forces that foiled the attack, the source
said.
"The citizens contact [us] when they observe any
abnormal, suspicious acts and we respond to their
call very quickly," said Brigadier-General
Khoshawist Jamal, who manages the communications
centre for the Sulaimaniyah administration's
security department. "The citizens are like an alert
eye for us in protecting Sulaimaniyah."
Shop owner Raheem Sabir is typical of those
determined to keep the city, the seat of the
administration run by the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan, one of the two main Kurdish parties, free
of bombings and bloodshed.
"If I have the slightest suspicion about any strange
or abnormal car or person, I will inform security
officials immediately," said Sabir.
Adil Ali, media relations manager with the interior
ministry, said although some tip-offs like the car
with tires covered in chicken blood prove to be a
waste of time, most are made with good intentions.
"Although [that] incident [was] funny, it showed how
sincere people in Sulaimaniyah are about informing
the security forces of anything suspicious," said
Ali.
Iraqi Kurdistan is relatively stable compared with
the rest of the country though cities like Erbil,
the seat of the other Kurdish administration, run by
the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and Dohuk have not
been immune to attacks. On May 4, a suicide bomber
killed more than 60 people at a police recruiting
centre in Erbil.
Sulaimaniyah's security chief Sarkawt Hasan said
that in addition to cooperative citizens, the city
has remained safe because his officers are well
trained and qualified to do their job. That includes
gathering information on all newcomers, particularly
those arriving in Sulaimaniyah to look for work.
As a result, foreigners are sensing that it is safe
enough to invest here, such as one contented Turkish
businessman who told IWPR Sulaimaniyah was "a secure
and protected city".
Frman Abdul-Rahman is an IWPR trainee in Iraq.
www.iwpr.net
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