["We finally arrived at the Police station where they had prepared lunch for us, though we were running late due to the inconveniences. The smell quickened my growing hunger; Iraqi Police food in Mosul is much better than the American Army chow on base. But before we could eat, the soldiers walked the blindfolded prisoner in to see if police could identify him.
The Chief wanted the prisoner. "Please leave him with me."
During lunch, the Chief persisted in his entreaties to LTC Kurilla, saying his police would find all the bombs, break the cell, and give the prisoner back tomorrow at the latest. And they could. The Iraqi Police could break the cell because they can break the man.
Terrorists often target Iraqi police--especially this station--so the Chief was becoming frustrated, and he continued to angle for the opportunity to interrogate the prisoner, suggesting creative ways to circumvent the inconvenient rules, like, "Let him go and we will catch him again." But LTC Kurilla kept reiterating, “You know I can’t give him to you. I might not agree with all the rules, but I must enforce them."
"Give him to me, just for the night," the Chief said. "You can have him back tomorrow."
"That I cannot do," Kurilla replied firmly. "If your police had been with us when we captured him, you could have him. But these are the rules." ]
Why these crazy rules? Especially when you are fighting the enemy? Forget the crazy rules!
Because we follow rules. I know, not the answer you wanted, but there it is.
I have an SF buddy from GW One. He held a pistol to a Syrian general's head to keep him from taking his Brigade to Baghdad to kill Saddam Hussein.
To this day, he wishes he hadn't followed the rules...but we did and we do.