Muhammed Latif ( ar, محمد لطيف ) is an

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

, and former member of the Baath Party. The city of Fallujah was handed over to Muhammed Latif, replacing the earlier U.S. choice,

Jasim Mohammed Saleh General Jasim Mohammed Saleh Habib (not to be confused with sahwa leader Jasim Mohammad Saleh Suwaidawi) was an Iraqi level-2 Baathist who commanded the Iraqi Army under Saddam Hussein. After US forces failed to capture Fallujah, they turned co ...

, when it was discovered that the latter had been involved in atrocities against

Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ira ...

during the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Ba'athist Iraq, Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations S ...

. ''

Jane's Intelligence Review ''Jane's Intelligence Review'' is a monthly journal on global security and stability issues published by Jane's Information Group. Its coverage includes international security issues, state stability, terrorism and insurgency, ongoing conflicts, ...

'' said that he was named Mohammed Abdel Latif and that he was a former military intelligence officer. Latif was granted the right to raise an army of 1,100 soldiers known as the Fallujah Brigade, who would wear their Baathist military uniforms and control the city (which US forces had proven unable to pacify). Within days, the city's mayor, Muhammed Ibrahim al-Juraissey said that there was a visible difference as the city began to calm now under Iraqi leadership once again. Nevertheless, the Fallujah Brigade dissolved and had turned over all the US weapons to the insurgency by September, prompting the return of US forces in the

Second Battle of Fallujah The Second Battle of Fallujah, codenamed Operation al-Fajr ( ar, الفجر, ) and Operation Phantom Fury, was an American-led offensive of the Iraq War that lasted roughly 6 weeks, starting 7th November, 2004. Marking the highest point of the ...

in November, resulting in US reoccupation of the city.

References

Iraqi people of Arab descent Iraqi Sunni Muslims Iraqi military personnel Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{Iraq-mil-bio-stub