U.S. Should Stop Arming Sunni Militias: PM Maliki

[cal04]

The United States runs the risk of creating new militias in Iraq if it arms Sunni Arab tribesmen indiscriminately to battle al Qaeda, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said.

In an interview with Newsweek magazine, Maliki gave the first indication his government disagrees with the U.S. military policy of arming and equipping Sunni Arab tribes to fight al Qaeda militants under a model first used in Anbar province.

"We want to arm some tribes that want to side with us but on condition that we should be well aware of the tribe's background and sure that it is not connected with terror," Maliki said.

"Some (U.S.) field commanders make mistakes since they do not know the facts about people they deal with. I believe the Coalition forces do not know the background of the tribes," he told Newsweek on Friday.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-iraq-maliki.html
Man in the Storm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19265506/site/newsweek/

[whistle]

1. Sounds like Maliki wants to move the ethnic cleansing of Sunnis

...along much quicker

[rodeodance]

2. he will rephase restate this tomorrow.