Posted on 11/26/2006 7:41:43 PM PST by Bob Hyneman
Iraqi Government taking on militias Tuesday, 21 November 2006
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, spokesman, Multi-National Force - Iraq. BAGHDAD — Politics is the best means available to the Iraqi Government and Coalition to deal with armed militias in the country, the spokesman for Multi-National Force – Iraq said during a press conference here Monday.
Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, spokesman, MNF-I, said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is dealing with political leaders in the country to disarm the militias, and Coalition officials are supporting that effort.
The goal, he said, is that the militias would disband and rely on the local Iraqi Security Force for protection and maintaining order. Militias that won’t engage in a political solution will be met with force, the general said.
“There's going to be those elements that are irreconcilable, that aren't going to be able to work through the political process, and those will be dealt with in a kinetic manner with direct action,” Caldwell said.
The prime minister is moving forward with a reconciliation process, but this does not mean the militias have a free hand in the meantime, Caldwell said.
“If there is somebody operating outside of the law, if there is somebody who is conducting illegal activity and we're aware of it, then we will take the action immediately to stop that and to apprehend or detain whoever is associated with that,” the general said. “Nobody will operate outside the law.”
The Iraqi Government is working to eradicate militia influence inside the security force structure. In the Ministry of the Interior, 3,000 people were fired for their ties to militias. Some of them are being criminally charged.
“They're moving forward and addressing some of the people within that ministry that are not swearing allegiance to first and instead maybe in fact have allegiance to some other element,” Caldwell said.
Interior Ministry forces are going through refresher training. The ministry pulled the 8th Brigade of the 2nd National Police Division offline and put it through training. Interior replaced the entire leadership of the unit. The move, Caldwell said, is a step forward to show that the government will not allow sectarian bias to exist within the Police Force.
(Taken from American Forces Press Service Jim Garamone)
Yep, you did ping me. I was browsing, didn't check my pings first.
You know, I've been marvelling at how much more miserable the local libs have been since they "won". In WA? state, they won alot bigger than most, and I've never seen them so despondant.
They're actually starting to bitch about taxes, it's got so bad.
Now they're identifying themselves with Gout, and for those who've shared the affliction, there are few equally miserable ways to spend many consecutive sleepless nights than a full field flaming dose of Gout.
This might get pretty interesting as they accelerate towards the wall :*)
Add me to the giving up on Iraq crowd its down to either a strongman or 3 countries and the Kurds deserve better than a strongman.
ROFL!
>>I see nothing wrong with ending the tyrannical rule of local gangs.
Replacing many little tyrannical pyramids with one big tyrannical pyramid was not the objective of those who penned the Declaration of Independence for the United States.
What were the “Self Evident Truths”, spoken of in the Declaration of Independence?
Are they as self evident today as they were 230 years ago? Are they self evident to the Iraqi people? Government, with unquestioning obedience and loyalty to the government, is not the objective. The role of government is to preserve and protect the basic rights and freedoms of the governed. We need to be leading the Iraqi people towards an understanding and appreciation of those “Self Evident Truths” upon which our own government is supposed to be founded. Understanding and appreciation will not be obtained by imposing a Soviet style tyranny. In fact, were we to do so, we will have taken a giant step towards becoming what we were told we were standing against in the Cold War.
It was suggested that what is needed in Iraq is a “good old Soviet era spying hierarchy that can root out those disloyal to the government.”. No doubt the Soviet communists, and their present-day successors, would agree.
Maliki could easily back down. He doesn't exactly have a spine of steel.
Are you suggesting that if we cannot achieve perfection, we should not attempt anything less?
>>we should not attempt anything less?
We should ~accept~ nothing less.
I like your quote but prefer a slight mod: Too bad the Taxpayers can't fire our Government Employees supporting the enemy, 98% of the State Dept. and 3/4 of the U.S. Government as a whole would be hitting the bricks
Yup, he likely fired everyone who refuses to join the sub rosa campaign to forward the establishment of a World Wide caliphate.
Maliki and Muqtada Al Sad'r are BAD news, and Dubyah is about to ream Maliki a new pug hole.
Maliki cancelled the meeting in Jordan, and has finally chosen to completely be Al Sad'r's main man.
The Shiites know that the Dems in the USA are their best allies, and they see Bush as a lame duck , a toothless tiger in another 2 months or so, and now they play the cat and mouse game.
This "cut and run" $hit here at home makes me want to puke!!!!!
I agree with you about the cut and run stuff, but all the rest........Bush isn't toothless and everyone will find that out when the time is right.
I didn't say Bush was toothless, simply that he is being treated as such.
Will Dubyah show his fangs and dig in? I hope so. For he is about to be tested as never before, if he insists as he should on further staying the course in Iraq, and initiating a military campaign to utterly destroy the Al Madhi Army of Muqtada al Sad'r.
May the good Lord guide our president and make him fast and accurate.
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