Nine Iraqi Militias to Disband (does not include al Sadr's militia)

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Nine major political parties agreed Monday to disband their militias, the interim prime minister said Monday. The agreement does not include the militia of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.


Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said about 100,000 armed individuals will enter civilian life or take jobs in the state police force or security services. The militias have been credited with helping oust Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).


"By doing this, we reward their heroism and sacrifices, while making Iraq (news - web sites) stronger and eliminating armed forces outside of government control, " Allawi said in a prepared statement.


None of the nine militias has been fighting the government and most are controlled by mainstream political movements represented in the government.

~snip~
more:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=2&u=/ap/20040607/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_militia

[Aidoneus]

1. They appear to all be the armed wings of the collaborators

I would suspect that they are making a PR stunt of "disbanding" for two reasons:--
a) their numbers are dwindling anyway
b) to ensure that the new quisling "Iraqi Army" serving the occupation consists chiefly of those already acting as its proxy agents and to act as a club for unpopular political figures to maintain their grip on power after the occupation changes the name it refers to itself under.

The Badr Corps (SCIRI) & al-Daawa's military wing (I don't know if it is still called Shahid al-Sadr or not, having effectively broken most tactical ties with the great martyred imam it was named for--the movement that fielded the first "suicide bomb" martyr operations against Zionist & American forces in the region now collaborating with them!) in particular have seen their ranks bleed away due to their credibility drop in lieu of their collaboration with the invaders and the occupation. Most of these movements originally linked their fate with the invaders to make up for their lack of popular support and respect, partly due to many of them having lived in exile for decades.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Concurring

From the BBC Online
Dated Monday June 7 12:23 GMT (5:23 am PDT)

Iraq militias "agree to disband"

Iraq's new Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, says he has reached a deal to disband militias that opposed Saddam Hussein.
About 100,000 fighters will either join the security forces or return to civilian life, Mr Allawi said.
However the pact does not cover the Mehdi Army militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr and observers say it is unlikely to affect the uprising . . . .
Nine political factions - most of them represented in Mr Allawi's interim cabinet - agreed to disband their associated militias by January 2005, when elections are due.
They include the Kurdish peshmerga militias and the Badr Brigade of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a Shia group.

Read more.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Hmm. No mention of the 'Fallujah Brigade' n/t

[papau]

3. They get pensions and/or jobs as Gov military. Loyal to whom?

But they now get a steady check!

:-)

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. What a bunch of baloney from the Iraqi puppet government.

[bemildred]

5. Ah yes, "light at the end of the tunnel".

Dramatic progress is being made. Droves of Iraqis are
rallying to the coalition flag, throwing flowers and
scented perfumes at out troops.

[saigon68]

7. The Chimp said they are welcoming us.----

The reality is that they are doing it,

With Bombs and bullets

[bemildred]

8. Word of our great success in Iraq is spreading:

Gunmen Fire Grenade at Manila Office Building

MANILA (Reuters) - Gunmen in the Philippines on Monday fired a rocket-propelled grenade and several bullets into a building that used to
house offices of Petron Corp., the country's largest oil refiner.

Police said the attack was similar to one in April on the Manila headquarters of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp, the Philippine unit of oil giant
Royal Dutch/Shell, and could be related to recent hikes in fuel prices.

No one was injured in either attack and damage was minimal.

Police said the gunmen fired at the sixth floor of the Gencon Plaza building in Manila's financial district before dawn and then sped off in two
taxis. The grenade punched a hole in one window and other panes were shattered by bullets.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x607209

[Snellius]

9. We shouldn't they quit. They basically won.

For all Bush's talk about "We will not cut and run." The Americans basically cut and ran. The local militias now control their turf. The provisional government may prefer to view this as a victory for a central government by pretending this warlords are now part of a greater whole, but I don't see any of these groups doing anything but building up their regional power base, and certainly not giving up their arms.