CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq - Members of the Tikrit Reconciliation Committee, including Weil Ibrahim, the Mayor of Tikrit; Col. Emad Nofan, the Tikrit Police District Chief; and Col. Iyad, the Tikrit JCC Chief, reconciled 26 criminals ranging from petty criminals to know terrorists from the Tikrit and Al Alam Police Districts April 5.
Emad, who headed the committee, said that he was surprised by the number of people who came to reconcile. "It was very surprising, particularly the number of people from outlying areas in the District," he said. "It went very well," he continued.
The process of reconciling starts with an individual who wants to reconcile completing forms about their background, including a description of their criminal activity, their affiliation with criminal/terrorist groups, their position within a terrorist organization. A sponsor may accompany them. The dual-language forms are completed in English for Coalition Forces, and an Arabic copy is provided to the Iraqi Police.
The individual is registered into a biometric identification system, following by an oral interview by community leaders, a panel which may include government officials, and shaykhs, who decide if the individual will be reconciled based on Iraqi law.
Next the individual signs a cease fire agreement and declaration to not obtain or use weapons (with the exception of one personal firearm); to not work for terrorist or criminal organizations; and to not engage in any terrorist or criminal activity. The declaration is signed by community leaders.
Finally, an Arabic copy of the declaration is given to the Iraqi Police, who clear the individual's record of criminal activity. Coalition Forces receive a copy in English and remove the individual from known/wanted terrorist lists. If the individual returns to criminal/terrorist activity, they are placed back on the wanted list and pursued by Iraqi Security Forces.
Capt. Jeremy Conner, commander of Battery Alpha, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division and responsible for the U.S. Soldiers in the city of Tikrit, said "It's great that the Iraqis are taking the lead on this event. This will allow local citizens to right the wrongs of their past and turn over a new leaf."
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