Disagreeable
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Apparently not. After two years of training, billions of dollars, our forces still have to look over the shoulders of the Iraqi police to keep them for torturing and murdering people. Doesn't sould like much progress to me. Excerpts; link to full article below; my emphasis.
"After a series of prison abuse scandals that have inflamed sectarian tensions, U.S. officials announced plans Thursday to rein in Iraqi special police forces, increasing the number of American troops assigned to work with them and requiring consultations before the Iraqis mount raids in Baghdad.
The decision to impose more day-to-day oversight suggests a recognition within the U.S. military that the heavy-handed tactics of some Iraqi units, which are to increasingly take on the role of fighting insurgents, have aggravated the sectarian strife that helps fuel the insurgency.
More than 2 1/2 years after the U.S.-led invasion and 1 1/2 years after the formal end of the occupation, it also illustrates that Americans still have the final word on security matters.
Iraq's Sunni Muslim Arabs, who dominated Iraq under former President Saddam Hussein, have complained of being targeted by the security forces now controlled by Shiite Muslims. The bodies of hundreds of Sunni men have been fished out of the Tigris River or found in abandoned lots and garbage dumps. Many had been tied, blindfolded and shot execution-style. Relatives often say their family members were taken away by Iraqi security forces or people dressed as such.
Sunni anger at the change of power in Iraq has largely fueled the insurgency.
The U.S. announcement comes after several abuse scandals involving Iraqi Interior Ministry forces. Last month, U.S. troops raided a secret prison where ministry forces reportedly were holding dozens of emaciated and tortured inmates, many of them Sunnis.
Shiites, meanwhile, say they have been the victims of retaliatory killings."
"Seven of nine Iraqi special police brigades in Baghdad now have 40 to 45 Americans attached to each. Under the new plan, hundreds of additional U.S. troops will team up with each of the nine brigades."
"American officials lately have begun expressing concern that pro-Iranian militias have infiltrated the security forces. In a country with deep tribal and sectarian ties, it's difficult to establish where commanders' loyalties lie, the official said.
Another U.S. military official, Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who is in charge of training Iraqi troops, told reporters this month that the penetration of the police by militias was "a serious problem…. We don't tolerate the presence of militias when we encounter it."
"U.S. commanders also have begun holding intelligence-sharing meetings twice a week with Iraqi security officials, the senior military official said. The meetings allow Americans to monitor arrests made by police during raids and where the detainees are taken. "They have to coordinate with us and request permission to come into our battle space," the official said."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq30dec30,0,6007737.story?coll=la-home-headlines
"After a series of prison abuse scandals that have inflamed sectarian tensions, U.S. officials announced plans Thursday to rein in Iraqi special police forces, increasing the number of American troops assigned to work with them and requiring consultations before the Iraqis mount raids in Baghdad.
The decision to impose more day-to-day oversight suggests a recognition within the U.S. military that the heavy-handed tactics of some Iraqi units, which are to increasingly take on the role of fighting insurgents, have aggravated the sectarian strife that helps fuel the insurgency.
More than 2 1/2 years after the U.S.-led invasion and 1 1/2 years after the formal end of the occupation, it also illustrates that Americans still have the final word on security matters.
Iraq's Sunni Muslim Arabs, who dominated Iraq under former President Saddam Hussein, have complained of being targeted by the security forces now controlled by Shiite Muslims. The bodies of hundreds of Sunni men have been fished out of the Tigris River or found in abandoned lots and garbage dumps. Many had been tied, blindfolded and shot execution-style. Relatives often say their family members were taken away by Iraqi security forces or people dressed as such.
Sunni anger at the change of power in Iraq has largely fueled the insurgency.
The U.S. announcement comes after several abuse scandals involving Iraqi Interior Ministry forces. Last month, U.S. troops raided a secret prison where ministry forces reportedly were holding dozens of emaciated and tortured inmates, many of them Sunnis.
Shiites, meanwhile, say they have been the victims of retaliatory killings."
"Seven of nine Iraqi special police brigades in Baghdad now have 40 to 45 Americans attached to each. Under the new plan, hundreds of additional U.S. troops will team up with each of the nine brigades."
"American officials lately have begun expressing concern that pro-Iranian militias have infiltrated the security forces. In a country with deep tribal and sectarian ties, it's difficult to establish where commanders' loyalties lie, the official said.
Another U.S. military official, Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who is in charge of training Iraqi troops, told reporters this month that the penetration of the police by militias was "a serious problem…. We don't tolerate the presence of militias when we encounter it."
"U.S. commanders also have begun holding intelligence-sharing meetings twice a week with Iraqi security officials, the senior military official said. The meetings allow Americans to monitor arrests made by police during raids and where the detainees are taken. "They have to coordinate with us and request permission to come into our battle space," the official said."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq30dec30,0,6007737.story?coll=la-home-headlines
