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| Iraq |
| Iraqi Police Force Facing Shake-Up |
| 2006-10-15 |
| BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's Shiite-dominated Interior Ministry, whose police forces have been accused of complicity in sectarian attacks, has fired 3,000 employees accused of corruption or rights abuses and will change top commanders, a spokesman said Saturday. Thousands have died this year in the cycle of killings between Shiite and Sunni death squads. At least 22 were killed Saturday, mainly in sectarian attacks. Amid the growing tensions between Sunni Arabs and Shiites, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah met Saturday with prominent Iraqi clerics from both sects in the Islamic holy city of Mecca and urged them to seek an end to the violence to allow the two sides to reconcile. "My brothers, we need now patience, calmness and quiet to get to know each other," the king told them. Spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said the Interior Ministry shake-up would ensure stronger action to stop the violence. "We are working on reshuffling the ministry's vital posts like (the leaders of the) police commandos and public order forces, as well as some undersecretaries," he told The Associated Press, without elaborating. He said most of the 3,000 employees who had been removed since May were suspected of corruption or human rights violations, but did not specify whether they were involved in militia activities. Up to 600 of them will face prosecution, he said. |
| Posted by:Steve White |