Article

2005-08-20 Iraq-Jordan

In Mosul, a shaky Iraqi police force tries again

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Posted by Zhang Fei 2005-08-20 11:28|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Where was the expectation created that a local police force was supposed to duke it out with a large number of armed insurgents? I lived in a town in NC where the local police didn't even make many traffic stops for fear that drivers might be well armed.

Posted by Super Hose 2005-08-20 13:01|| 2005-08-20 13:01|| Front Page Top

#2 Good article from an unreliable source. It's refreshing to see facts sans opinion from the NY Slimes.

Really tough work being done in Mosul by brave men and women.

Posted by Captain America 2005-08-20 13:40|| 2005-08-20 13:40|| Front Page Top

#3 SH: I lived in a town in NC where the local police didn't even make many traffic stops for fear that drivers might be well armed.

That's not exceptional - I've read that one of the organizers of the London bombings was stopped by a Washington cop - possibly while he was in possession of something illegal. The cop did not search the car because he thought the occupants were very tense, and potentially lethally violent. I guess it also depends on the type of small town. A small town in a blue state probably wouldn't have much in the way of hunting enthusiasts, and not much reason for the cops to be very gung-ho about weapons training.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2005-08-20 14:06|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2005-08-20 14:06|| Front Page Top

#4 ZF - I believe most police are significantly braver than I would be in their shoes. I'm sure the Mosul police force was derelict, but some of the criticism is a bit ridiculous. I am reminded of the LA shootout between what looked to be 60 police officers against two armed robbers with assault rifles and dressed in full body armour. Police cannot be expected to perform as a USMC fire team.

Posted by Super Hose 2005-08-20 14:20|| 2005-08-20 14:20|| Front Page Top

#5 SH: I am reminded of the LA shootout between what looked to be 60 police officers against two armed robbers with assault rifles and dressed in full body armour. Police cannot be expected to perform as a USMC fire team.

Iraqi police carry AK's and RPG's. I think the problem has to do with mixed loyalties and the fact that their families are targeted. Between the two things, I'm surprised that the terrorists bother targeting them. But the fact that the terrorists do go after Iraqi cops is a sign that the police were not just sitting around doing nothing, even back when the police stations were getting overrun.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2005-08-20 14:35|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2005-08-20 14:35|| Front Page Top

#6 I see a problem here. As a rule of thumb you *do not* want local people as police in an unstable area. You want out-of-towners. Since it's a Sunni area, they should use Shiite and Kurd policemen as the backbone of the police force, with Sunnis in non-critical positions for the time being. Of course, you pay them premium wages for a while, but you get what you pay for.

Only once the area is very stable do you migrate out your Shia and Kurds, who also get promotions to better jobs for having done hard time.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-08-20 17:05|| 2005-08-20 17:05|| Front Page Top

#7 Anonymoose: I see a problem here. As a rule of thumb you *do not* want local people as police in an unstable area. You want out-of-towners.

Well, our troops knocked out many of the bad guys before standing up the locally-recruited cops. We also have the Iraqi army in town to keep the cops honest. Eventually, though, the cops will have to take over. Traditionally, in counter-guerrilla actions, the cops stay local, whereas the troops are brought in from elsewhere, since out-of-area troops don't really know local conditions and traditions well enough to act as referees.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2005-08-20 17:42|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2005-08-20 17:42|| Front Page Top

#8 And being referees is part of what local cops do.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2005-08-20 17:42|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2005-08-20 17:42|| Front Page Top

#9 Wonder what effect will occur with this Mosul situation with LTC Kurilla out of the action? Hope the Army has a strong replacement for him.

Posted by Sherry 2005-08-20 18:13|| 2005-08-20 18:13|| Front Page Top

#10 One night in late July, American soldiers arrived at Five West to join in a raid. They found the station commander dozing. As troops went over details of the operation, a policeman who was supposed to operate a heavy machine gun walked in; he seemed to be drunk.

Sometimes I wonder if they deserve our help after all. Allah seems to have sort changed them a bit in the world's greatest civilization department.

Posted by jpal 2005-08-20 19:48|| 2005-08-20 19:48|| Front Page Top

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