Sunni secessionist fears as US troops leave
BAGHDAD - Fears of sectarian divisions in Iraq are rising as American troops prepare to leave the country at the end of this year, and some Sunni Arab areas demand increased autonomy from the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad.
The western provinces of Salahuddin, where former leader Saddam Hussein's home town is located, and Anbar, once a stronghold for al-Qaeda fighters, both submitted a request for more autonomy to the cabinet in November.
The move was interpreted as a response to government policies perceived locally as anti-Sunni. In recent months, the authorities have arrested more than 600 Sunni Arabs accused of serving under Saddam as military officers or Ba'ath party members.
Ayden Aqso, spokesman for parliamentary speaker Osama al-Nujaifi - a high-profile Sunni figure who said earlier this year that the community might consider seceding if Baghdad did not treat them better - said the government's actions had left Sunnis with ''no other solution than seeking autonomy''.
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