Muhammed Latif
Encyclopedia
Muhammed Latif is an Iraq
i major general
, and former member of the Baath Party
. The city of Fallujah
was handed over to Muhammed Latif, replacing the earlier U.S. choice, Jasim Mohammed Saleh
, when it was discovered that the latter had been involved in atrocities against Kurds during the Iran-Iraq war
.
While there had been reports of Latif having been jailed under Saddam Hussein
's reign over Iraq
, no solid evidence of that has since been produced.
Latif was granted the right to raise an army of 1100 soldiers known as the Fallujah Brigade, who would wear their Baathist military uniforms and control the city (which US forces had proven unable to pacify). Within days, the city's mayor, Muhammed Ibrahim al-Juraissey
said that there was a visible difference as the city began to calm now under Iraqi leadership once again.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
, and former member of the Baath Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
. The city of Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
was handed over to Muhammed Latif, replacing the earlier U.S. choice, Jasim Mohammed Saleh
Jasim Mohammed Saleh
General Jasim Mohammed Saleh was an Iraqi level-2 Baathist who commanded the Iraqi Army under Saddam Hussein. After US forces failed to capture Fallujah, they turned control of the city over to Saleh, and his own private militia in the hope that he could restore order to the city.A former...
, when it was discovered that the latter had been involved in atrocities against Kurds during the Iran-Iraq war
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
.
While there had been reports of Latif having been jailed under Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's reign over Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, no solid evidence of that has since been produced.
Latif was granted the right to raise an army of 1100 soldiers known as the Fallujah Brigade, who would wear their Baathist military uniforms and control the city (which US forces had proven unable to pacify). Within days, the city's mayor, Muhammed Ibrahim al-Juraissey
Muhammed Ibrahim al-Juraissey
Muhammed Ibrahim al-Juraissey was the mayor of Fallujah during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. On May 20, 2004 he announced that the time of bitter fighting in Fallujah was ended, and that Iraqis and Americans were now working together on rebuilding the city....
said that there was a visible difference as the city began to calm now under Iraqi leadership once again.