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.
"Having more fun than a human being is supposed to have"
Rush Limbaugh
Its going to be MJFox all three hours
And the keywords. Mod, who's doing this?
LOL
We shall see.
Pity MJF can't emulate Alex Keating...
Yeah
MJF ads backfired. YES!
I caught you!
Yes! We are quite and calm people unless provoked!
Amen.
are you ready for The Great Pumpkin?
For the good of the country, we need to get back to talking about Mark Foley.
/sarc
Mods will know who is doing it and will give a warning or if that doesn't work, goodbye.
Rush has to address the Mike Fox stuff. But I think he will soon turn to the grand slam presser Bush had.
I saw Diane Sawyer this morning with Sean Hannity. She's a disgrace. Sean slapped her a good one.
Will he just play the soundbites and move on?
No you did not. I was referencing the Scorpions!
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