Minister of Interior Bayan Jabr announced that a plot had been foiled to place hundreds of Sunni Arab troops actually loyal to the insurgency in position at the Green Zone and then to have them rush embassy offices and take diplomatic hostages.
Those tanks the Iraqi minister of defence is threatening to bring onto the streets. The only armour he has is the brigade’s worth of T-72s provided by Hungary, which we’ve mentioned before as a very serious factor in a coup scenario. (There are also, I think, a few reconditioned T-54/55s.) Where these tanks are, and who controls them, is about to become a burning issue, because they will be in a position to force everyone else’s hand. It’s also especially interesting that the biggest owner of tanks in Iraq, the US Army, doesn’t seem to be interested.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the assassination of the Iraqi Army 6th Division GOC last week? Remember, the Defence Ministry is run by the (Sunni) Dulaimis, unlike the police and the paramilitaries in the SCIRI-run Interior Ministry.