The Iraqi sergeant has dodged bullets from the al-Mahdi Army and traded fire with Sunni insurgents.

Yet in his years with the Iraqi Army he has learnt one simple lesson: once the US military pulls back in Iraq, he should leave the country if he wants to survive. “As soon as it happens, I will quit my job and live outside Iraq,” the sergeant told The Times.

“We need to give the Americans back all the authority over the Iraqi Army like before.”

Concerns abound that Iraq’s Defence Ministry is being manipulated to serve the interests of powerful Sunni and Shia political parties. A decision by the US military to hand over full control of Iraq’s Army to a Government plagued by sectarian interests, could well spell its ruin.

The sergeant, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears that his criticism of the Government’s handling of the military could get him fired or killed, is one of several officers who complained to The Times of government threats against army units that have led raids against Sunni and Shia armed groups.

Senior US military officers have also expressed concern over campaigns to remove defence officials and commanders considered to be tough on government-linked militias.

The sergeant, dressed in a US Army shirt, bemoaned the intensifying government pressure. He feels that the Americans have taught his men to be a professional, non-sectarian force and political parties are undermining them.

“If we detain Sunni terrorists, many of the Sunnis working for the Government will keep pushing us and our battalion commanders and ask us why you do that. Sometimes they will make a complaint against us. If we do the same thing in Sadr City, they (Shia officials) will make an announcement on television that we are doing the wrong thing and killing innocent people.”

He recalled two instances where high-profile raids against a suspected armed group led to requests from within the Defence Ministry to transfer a key officer. The sergeant was afraid things would only get worse as the Iraqi Government takes more power.

He criticised restrictions placed on troops by the Government which he says means that the Army cannot raid Sunni or Shia mosques being used by militant groups to kill people.

“If their mosque is a Sunni mosque, I can’t do anything about it. If it is a Shia mosque, I can’t do anything about it because the al-Mahdi Army will be mad,” the sergeant said. “I have learnt from the Americans that if there is a place where people are hiding weapons and terrorists even if it’s a place to pray then we do not consider it a place of God anymore.”

A colleague concurred, shaking his head at the partisan situation. “Each party is fighting to make his party first in a ministry. All people are just fighting for their own interests. If the coalition forces withdraw, all the people really working closely with the coalition forces, will leave because we will all be targets.” Between them, the two soldiers have had 50 colleagues killed in the past three years and another 10 troops kidnapped by the al-Mahdi Army.

One high-ranking Iraqi officer also spoke out over the mounting pressure from within the Government. “We will get official instructions but after that we will face something else. Suddenly some Government officials will threaten to remove you from your job.”

“I’ve received calls from VIPS. After a raid, they ask why did you do that.” The officer said that an official had threatened him with dismissal on one occasion after detaining al-Mahdi Army members. More and more, he said the ministry was allotting posts on a sectarian basis, with Shia commanders assigned to Shia areas and Sunni commanders posted in Sunni ones. “This will be a disaster. They are not going to be commanders for the army but for militias.”

The Times is the only British paper to maintain a full-time Baghdad bureau.

A day in Iraq

10 American soldiers are killed

25 Civilians killed in 15 car bomb attacks

1 Suspected terrorist killed by US aircraft

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