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| Iraq |
| Fake military uniforms threaten Iraqs security |
| 2010-01-15 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] The Iraqi government is facing yet another security challenge as military gear has become a public commodity and terrorists dress as army officers to carry out operations against civilians. As the security forces in Iraq are now made up of a variety of branches, uniforms have become more diverse and civilians are becoming easily fooled, unable to distinguish between real and fake army personnel. The problem became more complicated when different types of uniforms started being sold in stores and marketplaces in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities. As a result, members of armed groups and extremist militias were able to commit crimes, from theft to murder, dressed in military uniform. The Iraqi government now faces another security challenge as it is being accused in official and public circles of being unable to impose the necessary restrictions to control the sale and purchase of military uniform. It is the Defense and Interior ministries that are responsible for regulating the sale of army uniforms in stores, said an Iraqi citizen. "The uniforms in stores are replicas of the real ones and it becomes impossible for citizens to distinguish a fake security officer from a real one," he told Al Arabiya. "Terrorists are not only free to dress as police or army officers, but they can even choose the rank they like." Under Iraqi law, only authorized stores can sell military gear and only a person carrying the required documentation that proves his/her affiliation to the army or the police is allowed to buy a uniform, said an authorized military uniform dealer. "However, it is now easy to forge documents issued from different military authorities," he told Al Arabiya. "There are also several places that are now specialized in forging documents." Since the latest terrorist operations carried out by militiamen dressed as officers, Iraqi citizens have been calling on the Iraqi government to clampdown on unauthorized stores and to restrict the sale of military gear to army stores. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Gearing up for an iraqi Ft Hood. Easier to just make the uniforms rather than go through actual joining and training. |
| Posted by: Solomon Glulet1502 2010-01-15 09:15 |
| #1 It seems importent to put as many bullet holes in the fake uniforms whenever discovered. |
| Posted by: Oregon Doodle 2010-01-15 06:54 |