Posted on 10/25/2006 8:25:52 AM PDT by MNJohnnie
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1725292/posts?page=1
Iraqi Government Plans to Demobilize Illegal Militias
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2006 – The Iraqi government has plans to demobilize all illegal militias, including radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s so-called “Mahdi Army,” the senior U.S. diplomat in Iraq said today.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki “has agreed to getting rid of the militias,” U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters at a Baghdad news conference.
Illegal militias that commit violence and murder need to be dealt with, Khalilzad said, noting the Iraqi government recognizes that fact.
Maliki wants to demobilize all the militias, including al-Sadr’s, Khalilzad said. Yet, he noted, U.S. officials don’t have direct contact with Sadr, although there is some interaction with some of Sadr’s representatives in the Iraqi Assembly.
Khalilzad said he believes that an integrated, political approach is the best way to try to convince militia leaders to disband their men and stack arms.
However, Maliki doesn’t rule out the use of force to coerce the militias to disband, Khalilzad said. “We will see what happens,” he added.
Khalilzad said he believes the Iraqi government is taking the right path in addressing the militia issue. Iraq’s prime minister is anxious for Iraqis to assume more security roles and responsibilities, to include dealing the problem of militias, the ambassador said.
Meanwhile, U.S., coalition and Iraqi security forces “are actively tracking, targeting, detaining people who are operating in death squads, and their leadership, who are breaking the law,” Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, said.
When Iraq’s government zeroes in on the militia issue, then the Iraqi security forces will become the dominant security forces in the country, Casey predicted.
“I think it will happen,” he said.
She really sounds mystified, doesn't she? If Fox wasn't being exploitve, he'd have taken his meds, instead of trying to say he goes thru life that that.
I'm waiting for the part where Sean slapped her...
Holy cow.
Yoicks, I abandoned ship way before that happened.
I put in elrushbo, rushlimbaugh, lovablefuzzball, talkradio for those of us who who these keywords to search for the thread. Sorry if anyone is offended.
Mark denounced Tom Kean, Jr. for his remarks against Rush yesterday. That, combined with Kean's call for the resignations of Rummy, Hastert, etc. prompted Mark to say he would never vote for such a candidate, (R) or not.
Link?
Wow, I missed Jim getting involved.
Nope.
Wow! I'm sorry I missed it.
I heard mark say that last night.
Ya.. then they did a report about the Corker ad... funny, no reports from Today about the racist comments made about Steele... guess it doesn't apply to black pols with an R next to their name.
"Always" isn't a word I'd use. :) I'd use the word, "Usually". :)
We miss everything too much time at Ruth's lol
That's just Diane's normal tone when interviewing conservatives.
Eek.
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