Comments

You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name

Your e-mail (optional)

Website (optional)

	My Original Nic Pic-a-Nic Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Foto

Submit your comments on this article

Iraq

Baqubah Homies don't trust the Iraqi Fuzz

2008-07-31

BAQUBAH, IRAQ -- Residents of New Baqubah woke up Wednesday to a scene they had never seen before: hundreds of Iraqi national police blanketing the neighborhood in a city that until last year was a center of the Sunni Arab-driven insurgency.

For many of them, it was not a comforting sight. Most of the upscale neighborhood's doctors, teachers and retired military officers are Sunni Muslims, while the force sent from Baghdad to protect them is overwhelmingly Shiite Muslim.

But the newly arrived police force was all business Wednesday. The battalion commander, a colonel who gave his name only as Ali, summoned community leaders to a meeting at the neighborhood police station.

Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC

#4 "Col. Ali told him that some neighborhood guards, who include many former insurgents, were wanted for extortion and other crimes and would be arrested. But he said the government wanted to hire or find jobs for guards who were not suspected of serious crimes."

The US military was basically willing to take on for the Awakening forces anyone who was willing to be turned, wasnt a foreigner or really hard core AQ. But LOTs of those guys have records, having done nasty things as part of the "insurgency". While its understandable that the national Iraqi forces arent going to be as willing to let bygones be bygones as the Americans (since the Iraqis have to worry about these guys getting militant again when the Americans leave) they have great potential to mess things up by being too unforgiving.

Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-07-31 11:34

#3 Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has sent more than 30,000 troops to help clear out the remaining fighters. But U.S. and Iraqi officers say many insurgent leaders slipped away after Maliki announced the buildup in late June.

The logical conclusion is that Maliki has favors to do for his political support. You might say Maliki has met the enemy, and they is old friends. And the people in Baqubah don't trust the fuzz ?

Posted by: wxjames 2008-07-31 10:37

#2 Agree, but there's plenty of quagmire thrown in for good measure - LA Times, donchaknow.

Posted by: Bobby 2008-07-31 06:26

#1 "I don't want to talk about Sunnis or Shias," he said firmly to his anxious-looking guests. "We are professionals, and we work to defend Iraq from inside and out." - Good old fashioned correct military training kicked in .

Very interesting article , GolfBravoUSMC , cheers .

Posted by: Mad Eye 2008-07-31 04:54

00:00