Interior Ministry Commando Units Are Infiltrated (by Iran)

The Iranian-backed militia, the Badr Organization, has taken over many of the Iraqi Interior Ministry's intelligence activities and infiltrated its elite commando units, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

Fifth column

The officials, some of whom agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity for fear of violent reprisals, said the Interior Ministry had become what amounted to an Iranian fifth column inside the U.S.-backed Iraqi government, running death squads and operating a network of secret prisons.

The militia's secret activities threaten to derail U.S.-backed efforts to persuade Sunnis to abandon the violent insurgency and join Shiites and Kurds in Iraq's fledgling political process. And by supporting Badr and other Shiite groups, Iran has used the American-led invasion to gain influence in Iraq.

``They're putting millions of dollars into the south to influence the elections. . . . It's funded primarily through their charity organizations and also Badr and some of these political parties,'' said Gen. George W. Casey, the top U.S. general in Iraq. ``A lot of their guys are going into the police and military,'' he said referring to Badr.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/13395741.htm
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This article puts it quite well. If the UIA kicks ass then Iraq will fall into a civil war because the pro-Iranian parties don't want to make a deal with Sunnis and the Iranian militas will continue to kill Sunnis to provoke them to all out civil war.

The success of these elections Thursday will not be determined by how many people voted. But, instead by how many seats the Sunnis get and how well the religious parties Shia do vs the secular Shia parties.

This one is "like Duh?" but at least it's credible.

Thought Bremer did such a good job.
Thought Rumsfeld made sure those insurgents wouldn't be recruited and trained by our troops.
Thought Bush had it all figured out.