US military turns to Saddam Hussein's ex-officers

US military turns to Saddam Hussein's ex-officers

The US military has begun recruiting former officers of Saddam Hussein's military to staff the new Iraqi army, an acknowledgement of the serious problems it has faced in trying to build reliable security forces.

Following confirmation at the weekend that Iraqi soldiers had refused to fight in Falluja, General John Abizaid, the head of US forces in the Middle East, said on Monday that a number of police and Iraqi civil defence units operating in the south of the country had also failed to stand up to insurgents.

In order to try to resolve the problems in Iraqi chains of command, which US generals blamed on Monday for the refusal of several Iraqi units to fight, the coalition is turning to the former soldiers it once spurned.

<snip>

So, this is what? Plan C? What a mess.

...as the Idiot Usurping Lying Dictatorial Weasel has *no* plan. :eyes:
-Lori

Holding that nation together is obviously not an easy job. Was Saddam a ruthless totalitarian? Yes, but it turns out he had his reasons.

In between the intifada and the pending civil war, we're going to be lucky to establish anything near the kind of Iraqi government stability enjoyed by Saddam Hussein, and whatever we do leave them with is going to cost a whole lot of money and human lives.

The US charges of murder against Al-Sadr are FALSE, and the judge that signed arrest warrant was with Saddam's secret police.

I remember the incident, and it was posted in DU last year. Al-Khoei was not the target, but another other cleric who had been a Saddam supporter.

There was no murder here! It was a crowd that was outraged at seeing a cleric that had worked for Saddam's Ministry of Religious Affairs.

The judge that signed the arrest warrant against Al-Sadr was a member of Saddam's much feared secret police. The US is lying as usual.

Here are the two stories, one from the BBC dated April 10, 2003, about the incident in question. The other story is from The Guardian dated October 22, 2003, about Habboush, the former Mukhabarat officer that is working for Chalabi.

Shia leader murdered in Najaf
Thursday, 10 April, 2003

A senior Shia cleric working with coalition forces has been killed inside a mosque in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf.
Abdul Majid al-Khoei returned to Iraq from exile in London only last week.

He was one of two Muslim leaders hacked to death outside the Ali Mosque, one of the holiest sites for Shia Muslims.

The other was cleric Haider Kelidar, whom according to Arabic satellite channel al-Jazeera, had worked for Saddam Hussein's ministry of religious affairs.

<snip>

He (Khoei) had noticed Mr Kelidar coming under attack by a crowd and gone to help him - but was himself knifed. Both men died.

Other reports said crowds shouted abuse at the clerics, causing Mr Khoei to produce a gun and fire shots.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2936887.stm

Plan to arrest maverick Iraqi cleric for murder

Michael Howard in Baghdad
Wednesday October 22, 2003
The Guardian

Coalition and Iraqi officials are preparing an arrest warrant for the firebrand Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr over his alleged involvement with the brutal murder of a rival cleric last spring, sources close to the Iraqi governing council told the Guardian yesterday.

The warrant, which has yet to be finalised, cites Mr Sadr for instigating a deadly attack on Abdel Majid al-Khoei, who was stabbed to death by a mob in the Shia holy city of Najaf on April 10.

It is said to be signed by Tahir Jalil Habboush - a senior mukhabarat officer under the former regime who now works with the coalition authorities - and is based on the confessions of 23 men who were involved in the killing.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1068114,00.html

A bogus charge by a bogus administration.

just as they repeated the lies about WMDs.

Imam Ali, the founder of the Shia branch of Islam, was himself assassinated. The entire Shia theology revolves around martyrdom and suffering. Having the US kill al-Sadr will merely add another martyr to the halls of Shia martyrs, and it will force all other Shias, including al-Sistani, to wage war against the US for all time.

BTW, the RW are now saying that Bush should bring back Saddam's Republican Guard and officers in the Army to build the new Iraqi military. Saddamnism without Saddam.

force against the Vietnamese in 1945. First you're our allies, then we don't need you anymore. We have always perferred to ally ourselves with authoritarians - they're such good people.

In their press conference today, Abazaid and Sanchez both gave the 'Al Sadr murdered Khoei' nonsense. I can't believe that our media continue to lap it up. Well, I suppose by now I can believe it pretty easily.

Or the Special Republican Guard? :evilgrin:

Or perhaps that should be "demonstrated no qualms at sending other people to attack the Iraqi people."

I think the only possible choice is the Republican Guard!

The whole interprize is so currupt and criminal that everyone associated with it has lost, or is swiftly losing, all credability. There is hardly a pretense anymore of anything but brute, lawless force. "You eyeballin' me, boy?!" is the new motto of the "all volunteer Army". What a fucking disgrace!

"Change the channel”
- Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt's advice to Iraqis who see TV images of innocent civilians killed by coalition troops.






KRAZY KILLER KIMMITT enforcer for the Viceroy

who helped Saddam "kill his own people?" :eyes:

We would never let Saddam's mean old henchmen back in the Iraq military again. Never. Nope. Not possible. This is America after all. We are the good guys. Plus I am sure that the Blackwater boys can find some time to teach them all a little political correctness.

Don

Perhaps by passing under a radiation device of some kind, which will kill all traces of Baath or Saddam cooties.

Then, they can become the nucleus of Chalabi's valiant new army.

supporters-only much worse, some will defect and join the hugely supported and growing wave of anti-Americanism that George W. Bush aka The War President, has caused in his failed Bush Doctrine of "pre-emptive" military strikes anywhere, anytime-an abuse of our professional US military.
Our US military are sworn to DEFEND US through our Constitution and, as always, the Constitution is our American rallying point, not The Patriot Act or corporate interest, even war profiteering with a War President:grr::grr:.:grr:

Wonder if they have a preference?

bait!?