WASHINGTON - The White House said Monday that it was "concerned" about reports that aides to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki played a key role in the arrest and removal of senior Iraqi army and police officers who tried to rein in Shiite militias.
"We're aware of the reports, we're concerned about them, and that will be a focus of conversations," with top Iraqi officials, spokesman Tony Snow told reporters. "Those are the kinds of things we do discuss with the Iraqis."
"It is vital for the success of an Iraqi democracy to have security forces that will enforce the law fairly, regardless of who you are or regardless of what group you belong to," said Snow.
"We've said it many times, and that continues to be a point of emphasis," said the spokesman.
Citing US military officials and documents obtained in Baghdad, the newspaper said that since March 1, at least 16 army and national police commanders have been fired, detained or pressured to resign.
At least nine of them were Sunnis.
Although some of the officers appear to have been fired for legitimate reasons, several were considered to be among the better Iraqi officers in the field, the Post said.
The dismissals have angered US and Iraqi leaders who say the Shiite-led government is sabotaging the military to achieve sectarian goals, according to the report.
During earlier security crackdowns in Baghdad, Maliki was criticized for failing to target Shiite militias, in particular the Mahdi Army, which is led by hard-line cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the report said.
Iraqi government officials denied that security force commanders have faced political pressure and said that Maliki is committed to targeting all criminals equally, the Post reported.
04/30/2007 17:28 GMT