Jasim Mohammed Saleh

General Jasim Mohammed Saleh Habib (not to be confused with sahwa leader Jasim Mohammad Saleh Suwaidawi) was an Iraqi level-2 Baathist[2] 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.[3]

Jasim Mohammed Saleh Habib
Born1955[1]
Allegiance Baathist Iraq (?–2003)
 Iraq (2004–?)
Service/branchIraqi Army
Republican Guard
RankGeneral
Commands heldRepublican Guard Brigade
38th Infantry Division
Battles/warsIran–Iraq War
1991 uprisings in Iraq
Iraq War

A former chief-of-staff for a Republican Guard brigade who later commanded the Iraqi 38th Infantry Division, Saleh was stationed in Amarah in 1991 to help quell a Shia uprising.[2]

Saleh agreed to formally report to US General James T. Conway, who had arranged the transfer without conferring with US superiors.[4] There was less than a week's discussion about the deal, after Saleh approached the US Marines promising that he could bring the city under control.[2]

A native of Fallujah, Saleh was a prominent member of the city's largest tribe and closely related to its leader.[4]

Upon entering the city as with 200 troops,[5] Saleh was wearing his Republican Guard uniform and waving the Flag of Iraq, which had just been abolished by the Iraqi Governing Council several days earlier. He also had a large flag placed at the entrance to the city.

Saleh drew controversy on May 2, just days after the handover of power, when he stated that there were no foreign fighters in Fallujah. This, combined with the discovery that Saleh had been involved in atrocities against Kurds during the Iran–Iraq War,[6] led to US military authorities announcing he would not be allowed to lead his private militia any longer.[7] Two days later it was announced that Muhammed Latif would be given control of the city instead.

References
  1. Marine exit marks U.S. strategy shift - May 1, 2004
  2. Freeman, Colin (June 24, 2011). "Marines turn over control of Fallujah to Iraqi general once loyal to Hussein". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. Online NewsHour: Fighting in Fallujah - April 30, 2004
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-11-14. Retrieved 2006-11-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Democracy Now! | Stadium of Death: Fallujah Residents Bury Their Dead In Aftermath of Bloody U.S. Siege Archived 2006-11-15 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Perry, Mark (2010). Talking to terrorists: why America must engage with its enemies. Basic Books. p. 48. ISBN 9780465020959. Retrieved December 25, 2010. Muhammed Latif Baath.
  7. The Washington Post https://web.archive.org/web/20121024231814/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60444-2004May2.html. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Missing or empty |title= (help)


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