Mohan al-Furayji
Encyclopedia
Lt. General Mohan al-Furayji is a general in the Iraqi Army
. From September 2007 to April 2008, he was the commander of the Basra
Operational Command, an Iraqi Army
formation in control of all Iraqi Army forces in southern Iraq. In April 2008, he was assigned back to Baghdad.
's Republican Guard however, in the mid-1990s, he was imprisoned by Saddam in Abu Ghraib prison
for 11 months, where he was routinely tortured. Following the collapse of the regime in 2003, Mohan was barred from joining the new Iraqi Army under the laws
imposed by the Coalition Provisional Authority
.
, a veteran of the Iran–Iraq War was chosen instead.
to Basra
to prepare for the takeover of Basra
from British forces. Shortly after he was appointed, he advised British forces to withdraw their forces from Basra, as their presence was increasing the violence rather than reducing it. In September, 2007, he attended the transfer of Basra Palace from British forces. Following the transfer, there was a sharp decrease in the number of attacks on British forces, from 60 a week in August to five a week. The improved security allowed British forces to transfer Basra province to Provincial Iraqi Control at a ceremony at the Basra airbase in December 2007.
General Mohan also began preparations for an offensive
in Basra to reclaim control of the city from militias and began formation of the 14th Iraqi Army Division in Basra in November 2007, the second of two divisions under General Mohan's command. In an interview with a Telegraph reporter in March 2008, he described the situation in Basra: "The lawlessness in Basra is an insult to the Iraqi people and an insult to the Iraqi government. It simply cannot be tolerated." The operation was planned for June 2008, but it was launched three months early at the behest of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki
, while the new division was still forming. The operation faced heavy resistance from the Mahdi Army
and quickly bogged down with the 52nd Iraqi Army Brigade reportedly breaking during the fighting. The 52nd was the Division's second brigade which had only graduated from Besmaya five weeks before the operation.
In April 2008, he was reassigned to Baghdad.
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
. From September 2007 to April 2008, he was the commander of the Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
Operational Command, an Iraqi Army
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
formation in control of all Iraqi Army forces in southern Iraq. In April 2008, he was assigned back to Baghdad.
Under the Saddam Regime
Mohan was a senior officer in Saddam HusseinSaddam 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 Republican Guard however, in the mid-1990s, he was imprisoned by Saddam in Abu Ghraib prison
Abu Ghraib prison
The Baghdad Central Prison, formerly known as Abu Ghraib prison is in Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi city 32 km west of Baghdad. It was built by British contractors in the 1950s....
for 11 months, where he was routinely tortured. Following the collapse of the regime in 2003, Mohan was barred from joining the new Iraqi Army under the laws
Coalition Provisional Authority Order Number 2
Coalition Provisional Authority Order Number 2: Dissolution of Entities signed by CPA civil administrator L. Paul Bremer on May 23, 2003, disbanded the Iraqi military, security, and intelligence infrastructure of President Saddam Hussein...
imposed by the Coalition Provisional Authority
Coalition Provisional Authority
The Coalition Provisional Authority was established as a transitional government following the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, members of the Multi-National Force – Iraq which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003...
.
Baghdad Security Plan
In January 2007, Gen. Mohan was the Iraqi Prime Minister's first choice to lead the Baghdad Security Plan but was reportedly vetoed by US forces. Lt. Gen. Abboud QanbarAbboud Qanbar
Abboud Qanbar, also known as Abu Haidar, is a Shia Iraqi General. He was appointed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to lead the 2007 Baghdad crackdown in February 2007, though he was considered a relatively unknown officer. Qanbar was a compromise choice after the US Army rejected...
, a veteran of the Iran–Iraq War was chosen instead.
Assignment to Basra
In June 2007, he was redeployed from the Iraqi Defence Ministry in BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
to Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
to prepare for the takeover of Basra
Provincial Iraqi Control
The objective of the Iraqi Government and Multi-National Forces in Iraq is to achieve the transition of responsibility for each of the 18 provinces in Iraq from the Coalition to the Iraqi civil authorities, both national and local...
from British forces. Shortly after he was appointed, he advised British forces to withdraw their forces from Basra, as their presence was increasing the violence rather than reducing it. In September, 2007, he attended the transfer of Basra Palace from British forces. Following the transfer, there was a sharp decrease in the number of attacks on British forces, from 60 a week in August to five a week. The improved security allowed British forces to transfer Basra province to Provincial Iraqi Control at a ceremony at the Basra airbase in December 2007.
General Mohan also began preparations for an offensive
Battle of Basra (2008)
The Battle of Basra began on March 25, 2008, when the Iraqi Army launched an operation to drive the Mahdi Army militia out of the southern Iraqi city of Basra...
in Basra to reclaim control of the city from militias and began formation of the 14th Iraqi Army Division in Basra in November 2007, the second of two divisions under General Mohan's command. In an interview with a Telegraph reporter in March 2008, he described the situation in Basra: "The lawlessness in Basra is an insult to the Iraqi people and an insult to the Iraqi government. It simply cannot be tolerated." The operation was planned for June 2008, but it was launched three months early at the behest of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri Kamil Mohammed Hasan al-Maliki , also known as Jawad al-Maliki or Abu Esraa, is the Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Al-Maliki and his government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government. He is currently in his second term as Prime Minister...
, while the new division was still forming. The operation faced heavy resistance from the Mahdi Army
Mahdi Army
The Mahdi Army, also known as the Mahdi Militia or Jaish al-Mahdi , was an Iraqi paramilitary force created by the Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in June 2003....
and quickly bogged down with the 52nd Iraqi Army Brigade reportedly breaking during the fighting. The 52nd was the Division's second brigade which had only graduated from Besmaya five weeks before the operation.
In April 2008, he was reassigned to Baghdad.
External links
- Kim Sengupta - The man left to pick up the pieces in Basra - The Independent