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| Iraq | |
| U.S. seeks enforcers of Saddam’s regime | |
| 2003-04-20 | |
| The U.S. must-find list of Iraqis who helped keep Saddam Hussein in power goes well beyond the top officials pictured on the military's now famous playing cards. Less visibly but no less actively U.S. officials are seeking thousands who enforced Saddam's control through assassination, torture and misdeed. Catching these lower-level operatives — and ultimately putting them on trial — promises to be a massive and lengthy undertaking. The administration is planning prosecutions for alleged war crimes committed during this war as well as the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Cases also are expected to be pursued for alleged atrocities committed over decades by Iraq's government against its citizens. "Numerous abuses, both past and present," are being catalogued, Pierre-Richard Prosper, State Department ambassador for war crimes, said recently. "It's a big challenge," said John Pike of GlobalSecurity.org. "I think that they have clearly identified the major war criminals ... but I haven't seen any indication of what they propose to do with them. And I've seen no indication of how big the B list is and what they propose to do with the B list." Human rights experts says Saddam had layers of security apparatus — secret police, militias, intelligence agents — whose members committed widespread atrocities to quash political dissent and keep the Iraqi president firmly in control of the nation of 25 million. Tens of thousands of people had such jobs. U.S. officials do not know how many survived the war or how many committed rights violations. Coalition troops are sorting more than 7,000 prisoners captured from the battlefield, deciding who to release and who to hold for prosecution on war crimes or past rights violations. "The whole fabric of society was corrupted by the violations all the way down to the local police officer who participated in the arrest of someone on political grounds," said Alistair Hodgett of Amnesty International USA. "But the ultimate decision rests in the hands of the Iraqi people to decide how far down the line do the trials go. If you're a guy ... whose brother was taken away, imprisoned and tortured, it's not for the United States to say the (perpetrator) is a small fry." Another NGO with its hand in the till that wants to call the shots. The US is the "Guardian of Record", and will do what it deems best for both the Iraqi people and the United States. Abuses have been reported for years. A U.N. report said membership in certain political parties was punishable by death, as was insulting Saddam or his party. The State Department says Saddam's government targeted dissidents' family members. Yet the UN did nothing but squabble about these abuses. Yea, team. Rah. Rah. {puke}. American troops in Iraq carry a deck of cards with pictures of leaders in Saddam's government who are wanted most urgently. Several have been captured. Coalition forces are questioning them for information about Iraq's weapons programs, the whereabouts of other leaders and Iraqi links to terrorists. Bringing them to trial is a lower priority. The administration says it has not decided what charges might be brought against them or who would prosecute. As for lower echelons of suspects, Iraqis have given information that has aided some captures. Over time, more tips and captured documents will help U.S. officials decide who else to apprehend, Pentagon officials said. Hodgett and other rights advocates oppose the U.S. plan to help Iraqis prosecute rights violators, noting the country's judicial system has been in disarray for years. He said the United Nations should name a group to begin planning the rebuilding of an Iraqi justice system immediately because it has extensive experience and because justice delayed could result in a rash of revenge killings. Sigh. Here we go again. "Only the United Nations has the experience, only the United Nations, can do it right, the United Nations has to be involved." Can these twits even go to the bathroom without the United Nations holding their hands? The United States has the longest-running record for a truly JUST system of jurisprudence of any Western Power, save Britain, who happens to be a co-participant and partner in this endeavor. The United Nations can go play games in NKor if it wants, but keep your filthy hands off Iraq. Pike said that because abuse was pervasive, Iraq could consider something like South Africa's post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Another purveyor of jurisprudence, South Africa. Sheesh, do these people ever read anything but their own propaganda? Just leave us alone, and let us get the job done. I'm beginning to seriously doubt the ability of the United States to accomplish anything in Iraq without first dismantling the United Nations and all the NGOs that support and suck up to it.
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| Posted by:Old Patriot |
| #5 Supposedly (if it's not disinfo) in the late 1990's Sadam set up a squad of 3,000 just in case Iraq was invaded. It's too bad intel doesn't seem to think the Internet is a valuable Intel tool; if I can find some of these bastards, why can't they? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-10-1 1:47:53 PM |
| #4 And let us not forget:Lybia chairs the U.N.S.C.'s Human Rights Commision. |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-04-21 08:27:40 |
| #3 Some of these NGOs could be useful. Amnesty Intl has a pretty dossier on Saddam's abuses. Combine it with all the intel we'll get out of the captured documents and the testimony from the victims and their families, and then hold a Nuremburg-style war crimes trial for each member of the B-list. Don't fight all the NGOs -- turn some of them. Could be very useful. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-04-20 22:54:33 |
| #2 "I've seen no indication of how big the B list is and what they propose to do with the B list." Are there any other Gilbert and Sullivan fans here? The Mikado, Lord High Executioner, "I've got a little list...". Gotta love it! |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-20 22:08:12 |
| #1 We have won the war and now we have to win the peace. This is one of the biggest projects we will ever have to do. It is daunting and challenging, but in order to remake the middle east we are going to have to remake Iraq. And that means we are going to have to build from the bottom up AND we are going to have to exert some authority on every half-wit imam, mullah, mufti, and wannabe religious leader and warlord in the country. There is no way the country will come together with SAIRI, Iranian influences, Baathist leftovers vying for their piece of the action. Some of the young ones we will teach, some of the old ones and the fanatics will have to be squashed. We better have our best brains on this one! In another light, if we can pull this one off, radical Islam is finished. One of the biggest poker games you will ever see, folks. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-20 19:08:11 |