Some "training." A translator calls in "sick" and 8 people have to die

[lebkuchen]

Who's training the Iraqi police anyway? Our military? Sounds more like Halliburton...

"The Iraqi forces — sanctioned and trained by the United States..."

http://estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=17520


FALLUJAH, Iraq — A fatal shootout Friday might have been avoided if Iraqi security forces could have communicated with American soldiers.

The Iraqi policeman who is the liaison between local Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers was not present early Friday morning, said Iraqi police Maj. Adnan al-Jumaily in an interview Saturday at Fallujah City Hall.

So when Iraqi police and Iraqi Protection Force officers inadvertently got into a firefight with soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, the Iraqis had no way to radio the Americans to tell them they were killing friends, not foes, al-Jumaily said.

[alcuno]

1. There was a report on the news about how police officers all

over were unable to communicate with the Americans because they had no radios. Sounds like a Halliburton subsidiary to me.

[lebkuchen]

3. According to this Stripes piece, the training went like this...

What the hell kind of training is this?

*****************************************************

Two complications prevented police from redirecting the U.S. fire so they could withdraw. First, police and soldiers communicate through translators, none of whom was present.

Second, “I can’t call the Americans directly,” al-Jumaily said. “I call my superiors and my superiors call the Americans.”

Without the liaison present at the firefight, the police and protection force personnel had no way to appeal to the soldiers to stop firing, he said.

On the American side, details are still sketchy and the incident is under investigation, said 1st Lt. Ryan Huston, protocol and civil affairs officer for the 1st Battalion.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. Just astounding!

And I would venture to guess some of the Pentagon brass that were silenced made this point prior to the war as well.

and as a side note: thanks for the articles you post, lebkuchen, I almost always read them even if I don't post..just wanted you to know your contributions to the board are appreciated.

[lebkuchen]

4. Amazing to find this stuff in, of all places, the military's paper

Those anti-American chants must have been pretty damn loud. This is the first I've read in Stripes any admittance to the Iraqi's calling the US "occupiers." Those Iraqis ought to get together w/US soldiers, who still think they're the "liberators." Truly, we have a communication problem.

With Stripes, Army Times, and Col. Hackworth screaming "WH incompetence!!" why bother w/the NY Times, eh? btw, tomorrow's Stripes letters will be, once again, utterly damning of the Bush administration.

**************************************************************
Most residents were far less diplomatic, and hundreds of men accompanying the policeman’s casket for the noon ceremony chanted, “America is the enemy of God” while carrying flags from Saddam’s fallen regime.

“The Americans said they were going to free the Iraqi people,” said Sami Ahmed Kalaf, who added that he opposed Saddam. “But, had we known they were going to occupy us, I swear to God, even the little children would have fought them.”

[Unknown Known]

5. Probably David Kay's company, Vinnell Corp.

It's all about PMCs (private military companies. Kay has a big stake in Iraq through SAIC, a subcontrator of Vinnel which was bought by Carlyle in 1992 and sold to Northrup Grumman in 1997.

It was Vinnel's headquarters in Riad, Saudi Arabia that was bombed this past summer.

Follow the money. You'll get all your answers. And remember - "war is a racket"
http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/8791

[papau]

6. the Iraqi police now say no more co-operation with US military, and

today they let an illegal march of "Friends of Saddam" - all carrying "illegal" oversized weapons and shooting them off - while they stayed off the streets. It was the first return to "Saddam" control of a town, albeit if only for a day, that has occurred in Iraq since we enterred Baghdad.