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| Iraq |
| Iraqi police in Basra shed their uniforms, kept their rifles and switched sides |
| 2008-03-28 |
| Abu Iman barely flinched when the Iraqi Government ordered his unit of special police to move against al-Mahdi Army fighters in Basra. His response, while swift, was not what British and US military trainers who have spent the past five years schooling the Iraqi security forces would have hoped for. He and 15 of his comrades took off their uniforms, kept their government-issued rifles and went over to the other side without a second thought. Such turncoats are the thread that could unravel the British Army’s policy in southern Iraq. The military hoped that local forces would be able to combat extremists and allow the Army to withdraw gradually from the battle-scarred and untamed oil city that has fallen under the sway of Islamic fundamentalists, oil smugglers and petty tribal warlords. But if the British taught the police to shoot straight, they failed to instil a sense of unwavering loyalty to the State. “We know the outcome of the fighting in advance because we already defeated the British in the streets of Basra and forced them to withdraw to their base,” Abu Iman told The Times. Related Links Basra crisis leaves British withdrawal in ruins Analysis: Britain must now fight or fail Iraqi troops take on Shia militia in Basra clash “If we go back a bit, everyone remembers the fight with the US in Najaf and the damage and defeat we inflicted on them. Do you think the Iraqi Army is better than those armies? We are right and the Government is wrong. [Nouri al] Maliki [the Iraqi Prime Minister] is driving his Government into the ground.” The reason for his apparent switch of sides was simple: the 36-year-old was already a member of the al-Mahdi Army which, like other militias, has massively infiltrated the British-trained police force in the southern oil city. He claimed that hundreds of others from the 16,000-strong force have also defected to the rebels’ ranks.Abu Iman joined the new Iraqi police force after the invasion, joining the Mugawil, a special police unit infamous for brutality, kidnapping and sectarian murders. “We already heard two weeks ago that we were going to attack the Mahdi Army, so we were ready,” he said. “I decided to take off my uniform and join my brothers and friends in the Mahdi Army. All these years, we were like a scream in the face of the dictator and the occupation.” He said: “I joined the police because I believed we have to protect Basra and save it with our own hands. You can see we were the first fighters to take on Sadd-am and his regime, the best example being the Shabaniya uprising.” Abu Iman said that the fighting raging in Basra yesterday was intense because the al-Mahdi Army was operating on its own turf. He was confident that the Shia militia would prevail because its cause was just. “The Iraqi Army is already defeated from within. They come to Basra with fear in their hearts, knowing they have to fight their brothers, the sons of Iraq, because of an order from Bush and his friends in the Iraq Government. For this reason, all of the battles are going in the Mahdi Army’s favour.” Major-General Abdelaziz Moham-med Jassim, the director of operations at the Ministry of Defence, played down reports of defections in the Basra police force. “The problem of one policeman doesn’t make up for the whole of the force,” he said. In recent months Major-General Abdul Jalil Khalaf, Basra’s police chief, has tried to shake up the force and drive out militia infiltrators, who have wrought havoc in the past, often turning police stations into torture cells in which factions settled vendettas and power struggles with murder and abuse. But he only narrowly escaped an assassination attempt yesterday when a suicide car bomb attack in Basra killed three of his policemen. A local tribal leader said the police directorate building was later gutted by fire. |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
| #15 Keep in mind that it is the Brit command structure and not necessarily the grunt who constitute the problem. |
| Posted by: tipover 2008-03-28 23:58 |
| #14 OS - good point - "all gringos look/fight alike" may have some consequences :-) |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-03-28 22:44 |
| #13 "We know the outcome of the fighting in advance because we already defeated the British in the streets of Basra and forced them to withdraw to their base, Abu Iman told The Times." In other words, like I and many other who know the culture ther said, the Brits are setting themselves up for failure with the "soft" approach. All the locals learned from that is the Brits leaders are pussies and retreat when challenged. They are about to learn differently from US and the better Iraqi Army units that will mow these turncoat cops down. Welcome to "boom goes my house" starring the Iraqi troops, US Spotters, and the USAF 500lb JDAM. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-03-28 22:33 |
| #12 Find the turncoat triator quoted int he article. Drumhead court martial. Hang him and the others from a lamppost in the public square - and do not allow them to take him down until the crows have had their fill. Treason has a price. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-03-28 22:29 |
| #11 Count is 79 dead terrs in Baghdad and 25 in Hillah and Kut. 5 Americans and about 15 Iraqis. IP took it on the chin in Kut before rebounding and kicking butt. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2008-03-28 19:37 |
| #10 Well no shit. I guess they arn't police after all. Now you know which side whom is on, adjust appropriately, and kick their butts. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-03-28 16:53 |
| #9 The British went into the situation full of confidence that they "understood Arabs and the Arab way", and sneered at "cowboy" Americans who looked at the situation objectively. Now we see that the American way of having few preconceived notions and trusting only those who earn that trust has turned out to have been the far wiser tack. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-03-28 16:36 |
| #8 If I understand this correctly, Maliki has fully committed the government to ending these Shiite militias and to cleaning up the mess left by the British in the south. He has fully engaged Iraqi military and police toward that end. He has asked for and gotten full American support. Yes! There is a God. Maliki could also use our prayers. |
| Posted by: Titus Cloling7944 2008-03-28 16:12 |
| #7 from what I can gather theyre using Baghdad based units in the lead precisely cause they are aware of this problem |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-03-28 16:06 |
| #6 Why does the Times seem to have exclusive access to insurgents, cutthroats, turncoats, doomsayers and other such miserable skidmarks? Birds of a feather I guess. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-03-28 15:48 |
| #5 Abu Iman and fellow turncoats are in a world of hurt. It's not like the the gov doesn't know who they are or where they live. Or have 400,000 under arms and a reliable supply line. Be sure to say hello to Uday and Qusay for me. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-03-28 15:26 |
| #4 it's been know for years they the police force in Basra was infiltrated by the militia's and criminals this isn't news, this is the situation resulting from the "go softly" approach the British military leadership has taken. The solution is to kill anyone seen in the streets with a gun or rpg, it's not rocket science. This same method should apply to Sadar City and any other place the Madi army goes into open revolt. If police men are caught working for the other side they should be shot on the spot. Loyalty to the elected government needs to be absolute unless it is acting in a criminal fashion. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2008-03-28 15:11 |
| #3 "everyone remembers the fight with the US in Najaf and the damage and defeat we inflicted on them." Yes, everyone remembers Najaf and the 50:1 kill ratio. We also remember how the JAM hid in the mosque to keep from being wiped out. If the Marines ever show up in Basra, Abu Iman better wear an extra set of pampers 'cause 1 might not be enough. Al |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2008-03-28 14:49 |
| #2 Swine-On-Line, Gloom, Doom and the finest BullSh*t slopped right here. ******************************************** Abu Iman, working hand and glove with "Swine on Line" His response, while swift, was not what British and US military trainers who have spent the past five years schooling the Iraqi security forces would have hoped for. He and 15 of his comrades took off their uniforms, kept their government-issued rifles and went over to the other side without a second thought. Such turncoats are the thread that could unravel the British Army’s policy in southern Iraq.. Abu Iman, “If we go back a bit, everyone remembers the fight with the US in Najaf and the damage and defeat we inflicted on them. Do you think the Iraqi Army is better than those armies? We are right and the Government is wrong. [Nouri al] Maliki [the Iraqi Prime Minister] is driving his Government into the ground.” without the slightest pause for an honest breath of oxygen "Swine on line" prints that Lie to glorify doom, gloom and disaster in Iraq. |
| Posted by: RD 2008-03-28 14:15 |
| #1 The freedom to make stupid choices. TV Entertainment in America, lethal in Iraq. That's what civilization is all about. |
| Posted by: Harcourt Jush7795 2008-03-28 13:35 |