Posted on 11/30/2004 8:43:09 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
BAGHDAD — Before he arrived at the fourth checkpoint, Najah Ghazy had the routine down: act relaxed, apologize to the black-masked men for having his beard shaved, and say he was traveling from the Iraqi city of Babylon to visit family here in the capital.
When he returns to Babylon in eight weeks, he told himself, he will be charged with arresting such Islamic insurgents. Or, possibly, killing them.
Similar treks are made by thousands of Iraqi police recruits to the training academy in Baghdad, invariably these days with their uniforms hidden in plastic bags or gym totes.
"Too many of the other students have been discovered," said Ghazy, 22, who is following his two older brothers into the police force. "How else can we live? There are no other jobs."
If he lands the $200-a-month job, the future will be one of continual peril. The police force stands at the front line of a dozen Iraqi security forces trying to combat insurgents, keep the peace and secure notoriously porous borders.
The security troops are crucial to the Bush administration's goal of sharply reducing the U.S. military presence in favor of an effective domestic force. But they are likely to remain too undermanned and under-equipped to meet that goal until well after national elections slated for January.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Amazing isn't it.
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