Kuwait Times

Published Date: April 09, 2008

MULTAKA: Sheikh Abu Saif Al-Jubburi is a man to be reckoned with in Iraq's northern oil hub, where the tribal leader and his 800 men protect strategic pipelines and US troops in the volatile region. Clad in black silk, a shining gold watch clasped to his wrist, Jubburi welcomes visitors at the gates of his kitsch candy-pink mansion, with its swimming pool, fake crystal chandeliers and monumental staircase. Jubburi is the mayor of Multaka, a town between the rebel bastion of Hawija and the northern Iraq oil
hub of Kirkuk, a flashpoint city riven by ethnic tension.

After the US-led invasion of Iraq five years ago, Jubburi left a lucrative trade "selling potatoes" which he says earned him "up to 10,000 dollars a day" to devote himself to guarding roads in areas where there are oil pipelines. The pistol-toting father of 18 is now the uncontested master of 885 men and 80 checkpoints on the Hawija-Kirkuk highway that runs alongside pipelines that transport Iraq's black gold north to Turkey.

Jubburi, with his pencil thin mustache, has the looks of an Italian mafia godfather from 1930s Chicago. Yet the jovial and hospitable Jubburi is the law in Multaka and proudly informs his visitors that he was "the first to collaborate with the Americans when they arrived in 2003." "I met up with them secretly for two months," said Jubburi as he relaxed in a living room, huge enough to be a gym, his eyes drifting towards a Hollywood sitcom playing on a high-tech, ultra flat television screen.

Jubburi recalls starting out with a crew of 50 "combatants" and how he approached the Americans to secure funds to arm and pay his men as part of his determination "to serve my country." "At first we were disappointed by their indifference. The Americans were not helping us, so we had to raise funds ourselves by levying taxes on trucks that drove in this area," he said. At first we were disappointed with the Americans-Jubburi said he had signed his "first contract with the American army to recruit 200 men
in July 2007.

His fighters are tasked with guarding miles and miles of country road in Iraq's northern oil-rich territory and earn 250-350 dollars a day stopping and searching vehicles that drive down their turf. Flags from the Saddam Hussein era fly over their checkpoints which are located 500 meters apart and located in a region that has long been a stronghold of supporters of the former dictator. "Thanks to him, not one bullet is fired at the Americans in the area which is a haven of peace for the troops," a local jo
urnalist said of Jubburi and his men.

In a show of gratitude, the US military has rebuilt schools, bridges and even mosques in the region in a bid to improve the lives of the population. "It is to everyone's benefit," said Jubburi. "Security is perfect and jobs are being created. At the same time we are getting rid of the terrorists," who, Jubburi said, have tried to kill him on several occasions. The tribal chief is certainly among the first to benefit financially from the whole operation, although the amount of revenues he generates is a mys
tery.

But correspondents say that each truck that crosses his turf must pay a six-dinar (five dollar) tax. Jubburi considers himself as the pioneer of the American-backed anti-Qaeda "Awakening" front, which was launched by the US military at the onset of last year made up of Sunni militiamen, most of who are former anti-US insurgents. Around 7,000 members of the movement, known as "sahwa" in Arabic, are deployed across Kirkuk's southwestern oilfields, including 1,300 in Hawija, regional police chief Turhan Yusse
f said. - AFP