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Iraq-Jordan
Iraqi police chief threatens militant crackdown
2005-02-03
Don't threaten, dammit. Just do it.
The chief of police in the northern city of Mosul has given insurgents two weeks to hand over their weapons or face a crackdown from Iraqi security forces emboldened after the election. In a television address two days after the country held a successful national vote despite insurgent threats, Brigadier Mohammed Ahmed al-Jabouri issued a forthright ultimatum. "Hand over your weapons or we will come and get you," he said on the local TV station. He said his message was particularly aimed at insurgents hiding out in towns and villages around Mosul, Iraq's third largest city.

Jabouri said his men were aware of where the insurgents were and were not afraid to come after them. He said he was giving them until Feb. 15 to hand in their weapons but gave no details about how they were supposed to do it. The day before, on the same TV channel, police paraded seven suspected insurgents detained in a series of election-day raids. They are believed to be members of a group headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Jabouri's tough talk is an abrupt turnaround for the Mosul police -- two months ago virtually the entire police force deserted after rebels launched an offensive against them. Dozens of police stations were overrun, looted and then destroyed.
Posted by:Fred

#3  phil_b: “whack-a-Sunni-month”
Most Kurds are Sunni.

Kurds aren’t Arabs. (But comparative genetics shows very little difference between Iraqi Kurds and Arabs.). The religious, racial, language, tribal, and cultural dynamics are complicated.
Posted by: Anonymous5032   2005-02-03 1:23:09 PM  

#2  well of course youve got to give em a chance first. Sounds like a good course. Hope he follows through.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2005-02-03 9:15:21 AM  

#1  The article fails to mention that thousands of Kurdish militia were brought into replace the mostly Sunni police. Looks like Febuary is going to be be whack-a-Sunni-month around Mosul.
Posted by: phil_b   2005-02-03 12:48:59 AM  

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