Iraq Govt. Says Don't Follow Orders of Iraqi Police at Night

[JPZenger]

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

The above post by an Iraqi in Iraq describes some of the security problems in Iraq. The blog describes how the Iraqi Defense Ministry told its citizens over two main TV stations that citizens should not listen to orders from Iraqi police or security forces who come to their house at night unless they are accompanied by US troops.

This is because many Iraqi police and security forces are working in unauthorized death squads as part of the Sunni-Shiite divisions.

Here's an excerpt:

"The situation is so bad on the security front that the top two ministries in charge of protecting Iraqi civilians cannot trust each other. The Ministry of Defense can’t even trust its own personnel, unless they are “accompanied by American coalition forces”.

It really is difficult to understand what is happening lately. We hear about talks between Americans and Iran over security in Iraq, and then American ambassador in Iraq accuses Iran of funding militias inside of the country. Today there are claims that Americans killed between 20 to 30 men from Sadr’s militia in an attack on a husseiniya yesterday. The Americans are claiming that responsibility for the attack should be placed on Iraqi security forces (the same security forces they are constantly commending).

All of this directly contradicts claims by Bush and other American politicians that Iraqi troops and security forces are in control of the situation. Or maybe they are in control- just not in a good way.

They’ve been finding corpses all over Baghdad for weeks now- and it’s always the same: holes drilled in the head, multiple shots or strangulation, like the victims were hung. Execution, militia style. Many of the people were taken from their homes by security forces- police or special army brigades… Some of them were rounded up from mosques."

[bigtree]

1. I wouldn't trust the American forces at night either

not until they account for incidents like this one:

Iraqi girl tells of US attack
http://www.channel4.com/news/content/news-storypage.jsp?id=1385503

[Neil Lisst]

2. oh, this is working out great!

[saltpoint]

3. The police at night aren't really police, so people shouldn't obey them.

Or, the really ARE police and they're die-hard Baathists, etc., and so they should be feared generally and avoided if possible.

The U.S. soldiers are occupiers at best and invading oil-grubbers at worst who in some way are connected to a Secretary of Defense who oversees torture prisons.

There may be some clinical definition of 'civil war' out there that belies conditions in Iraq now, but my best understanding is that no matter how it's defined, it's a hell of a mess.

How long before the roofs-of-Saigon helicopter departure scene occurs? Bush has lost. He may not say so and he may even not know it yet, but he's lost.

And it's been horrifying for the innocent Iraqi citizens killed or maimed by his deceit and destruction and very bad also for the reputation of the United States.

[951-Riverside]

4. And just how are you going to know they are with an American?