United States helps reconstruct Iraq's judicial, law enforcement infrastructure
By Lea Terhune - Washington File Staff Writer
29 August 2006
Washington - The high-profile trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is a top international news item, but building Iraq’s capacity to hold such a trial is a story in itself. U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales traveled to Iraq August 29 to meet and commend those whose hard work has helped rebuild and maintain Iraq’s justice system.
After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, 24 Department of Justice officials were deployed to assess and assist in reconstituting the Iraqi legal system. Now more than 200 American law professionals support Iraq’s justice and law enforcement institutions through training and advising jurists and police.
"Freedom is best sustained by the establishment of a fair and just legal system that prioritizes the rights and liberties of its citizens," the attorney general said after his arrival in Baghdad August 29.
Key U.S. law enforcement agencies are involved in the effort, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Marshal’s Service (USMS). Officers from each of these agencies make up the Major Crimes Task Force, which investigates assassinations of government officials, prisoner abuse, civil rights violations and violent crimes. They also contribute managerial expertise and technical assistance to highly trained Iraqi investigators.
The FBI has a counterterrorism unit in Iraq and brings in specialists to train the Iraqi police in counterterrorism techniques. The FBI legal attaché also facilitates law enforcement liaisons and international assistance. The Iraqi police receive training in the handling of explosives from the ATF. The USMS advises on security programs for Iraqi courts and provides court and witness security services.
U.S. agencies assist the Iraqi High Tribunal in its investigations of genocide, war crimes and other offenses, including investigations of Saddam Hussein and other officials of the deposed Iraqi government. As needed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractors with special expertise assist in evidence gathering and preservation, forensic testing and exhumation of mass graves. Anthropologists, archaeologists, pathologists and forensic scientists are among those consultants employed in investigations.
Enhancement of Iraq’s legal institutions is the chief goal of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development. Advisers assess and give counsel on judicial reforms. They develop training programs tailored to Iraq’s justice system. About 500 Iraqi jurists and prosecutors have been trained in areas such as human rights, forensic evidence and prosecuting criminal, insurgency and terrorism cases. Department of Justice agencies provide resources for the anti-corruption efforts of the Iraq Commission for Public Integrity.
Iraqi law enforcement also is bolstered by training and assistance given to various levels of the police force. According to the Department of Justice, the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) is “the largest international police training program ever undertaken.” To date, more than 130,000 Iraqi police have been trained in courses developed by ICITAP and Civilian Police Assistance Training Team (CPATT) agents. Specialized and advanced training has been given to more than 15,000 Iraqi police on techniques of handling basic crime investigation, interrogation, critical incidents, civil disorder, violent crimes and kidnapping. ICITAP/CPATT advised on the comprehensive security mounted during Iraqi elections. The teams founded Baghdad Police College, the Arbil Police College and six regional basic training facilities, and continue to serve as their consultants.
"The Department of Justice is proud to help the Iraqi people establish the rule of law in their country, and I applaud the Department of Justice employees who are so dedicated to assisting in this historic effort," Gonzales
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA - American Forces Press Service
RENO, Nev., Aug. 29, 2006 – As the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, approaches, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld last night stressed the need for determination in the war on terror.
"Today we are engaged in conflicts that are again testing whether or not our country believes that the defense of liberty is worth the cost," Rumsfeld said while addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention here.
The enemy in the war on terror is ruthless and will lie constantly to advance its cause, Rumsfeld said, but history has proven the American people have resolve and determination. He cited American perseverance following the attack on Pearl Harbor, in the battle of Iwo Jima and in the Korean War.
"History has shown time and again that if Americans have the patience and perseverance to see an effort through -- that we prevail," he said. "And the result of that perseverance is a safer and more secure world."
There is much debate in the country about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Rumsfeld called for people to use historical perspective when assessing the situation, and not to focus on setbacks. He said the veterans he was addressing are uniquely qualified to remind the American people that there have been setbacks and difficulties throughout every war in American history.
"You not only have lived history, you have made history," he told the audience. "You not only understand the nature of warfare, but many of you helped to transform the way wars are fought. And you know the price of freedom, because you risked your lives, shed blood, and lost friends in freedom's defense."
Iraq is still the epicenter of the war on terror, and although the insurgents want the world to believe otherwise, great progress is being made there, Rumsfeld said. A country that was once brutalized by a cruel dictatorship is working to secure a future under a representative government at peace with its neighbors.
Those who focus on setbacks in Iraq are fostering a "blame America first" mentality that threatens to undermine U.S. efforts in the war on terror, he said.
There will be setbacks in the war on terror, Rumsfeld acknowledged, but that does not mean the United States is losing ground. Americans have not quit in difficult times in the past, but have seen things through to victory, and will continue to do so.
"Today we will not tell 50 million Afghans and Iraqis that because the going is tough -- and it is tough, let there be no doubt -- that we will abandon them to the beheaders, the terrorists, the assassins, and 21st century fascists who seek to attack us abroad and here at home," he said.
At the convention, Rumsfeld received the Dwight D. Eisenhower Distinguished Service Award for his many years of service to the nation.
Related Articles:
Military Capable of Meeting All Its Challenges, Rumsfeld Says
Rumsfeld to Stress to VFW Need for Resolve in Terror War
Related Sites: