- Coalition for Iraqi National Unity
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The Coalition for Iraqi National Unity (CINU) is a political party in Iraq. It is led by Nehru Mohammed Abdul Karim al-Kasanzani.[1]
Nehru Kasanzani's father, Sheikh Mohammed al-Kasanzani is the religious leader of the Kasanzani order, which is the largest order of Sufis in Iraq.[2] Sheikh al-Kasanzani led a pro-government Kurdish militia in the 1970s and 1980s and became an important oil industry middleman in northern Iraq linked to Izzat al-Douri.[3] In 1999 Nehru and his two brothers were arrested and sentenced to death after Nehru's brother forged Saddam Hussein's signature. After the intervention of a Kurdish Communist former minister, the Kasanzanis were released and allowed to flee to Iraqi Kurdistan, which was outside the control of the Iraqi government.[2] There, the family are reported to have become CIA agents, feeding them lists of names of people in security services.[2]
After the invasion of Iraq, al-Kasanzani founded the Iraqi National Unity Coalition. They stood in the January and December 2005 elections as list 552 but failed to win any seats. They did, however, win 5 provincial assembly seats in Salah ad Din in 2005 and won 14,439 votes and two provincial assembly seats in the Al Anbar governorate election, 2009.[4]
In January 2010 the party was banned by the De-Baathification Commission with 14 others for links with the banned Baath Party.[5]
References
- ^ Killing a person in a sticky bomb, Eye, 2009-12-24
- ^ a b c What Are an Iraqi CIA Agent and His Novice Lobbyist Up to in Washington?, DC Bureau, 2009-05-15
- ^ THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ: RELIGION; As Sunni Divisions Widen, Iraq's Sufis Are Under Attack, New York Times, 2005-08-21
- ^ See linked article
- ^ Motlak says decision to exclude him from elections indicates “there is no state”, Aswat Al Iraq, 2010-01-08
Categories: Political parties in Iraq
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