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2007-04-06 Iraq
US priority: managing captives in Iraq
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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2007-04-06 11:56|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 First - Bucca is in the south of the COUNTRY, not just a bit south of B'dad.

This is good news. MNF-I had to have been considering this as part of any move towards fighting the war (as opposed to pretending to train the Iraqis to fight the war, as previously).

But there's a key error here (not in the article so much as the reality it correctly describes). These attempts to maintain some high standard of quasi-judicial procedures have been a mistake, and have always met with difficulties due to not just the limited capacity of the judicial system but the incapacity of that system due to intimidation.

Mike Newton, quoted in the article, and with whom I worked a bit over there, would know better, but it seems to me that from the outset we/Iraq should have proceeded under emergency laws for times of internal conflict that set a very low judicial bar on detentions, while at the same time working to set up the best review system feasible under the circumstances. It's nice to see the Central Criminal Court coming out with convictions of jihadis, but I'd rather have many, many more military-age males in detention and no judicial proceedings at all, if needed.

There's a pure detention challenge as well, as noted. Our intention last year was to get down to just Cropper and Bucca (high-value types are at Cropper). Don't see how current facilities can handle the flow of detainees absolutely certain to flow from any serious offensive actions.

There's much silly talk about "fighting a 21st century war". Well, it's no different from fighting any other war, of course. But you actually have to FIGHT IT. Mass detention - including some on the preventive side - has always been a neccessary part of any Iraq operations that actually aim to have an impact on the situation.
Posted by Verlaine 2007-04-06 13:52||   2007-04-06 13:52|| Front Page Top

#2 Ok, if we can't lock 'em all up, let's just kill every other one. That'll take the pressure off, and very da$$$d few of those killed would be innocent, anyway. What's so hard about that?
Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot  2007-04-06 21:44|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]  2007-04-06 21:44|| Front Page Top

#3 Simple - don't take captives.

Munch all you want Use all the bullets you want - we'll make more.
Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut  2007-04-06 22:53|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html]  2007-04-06 22:53|| Front Page Top

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