US Military "Hoodwinked" by Iraqi Protection Racket

The fight for oil pipelines in Iraq

(Robb's note: Interesting if true, but I'll keep it off LBN)

Kirkurk: One week the US army was paying the sheikh to help protect oil pipelines, the next they arrested him on suspicion of aiding anti-coalition attackers.

It's all part of building the new Iraq, explained the somewhat bewildered American colonel. "He negotiated a deal that let him take a part of the pipeline that he didn't have before," said Colonel Bill Mayville, who is in charge of the 173rd Airborne Division in the northern oil center of Kirkuk.

That three-month contract, which began on July 17, promised Sheikh Hatem al-Assy al-Obeidi more than 6,000 dollars for the protection of a stretch of pipelines and power cables running through his tribal lands in the desert near Kirkuk.

(snip)

When US troops went two weeks ago to Sheikh al-Obeidi's al-Ramal village to investigate, they discovered what appeared to be bomb-making equipment and a considerable amount of small arms.

(more)

They are hoodwinked by the Iraqis, the Iraqis "We don't want any more contracts or to take money for protecting what belongs to the Iraqi people.." but what is "wonderful" is that the Iraqis now may want to
file a lawsuit against the military: "They've demonstrated outside coalition offices here, they've gone to the press, they've drawn up petitions." According to colonel Mayville, the US spokesman "All of which are positive signs that freedom of expression is taking hold in Iraq, a country where for decades dissenting voices were quickly eliminated, he added".
How much of the 87 billion is being paid off in situations like this?
LOL...on the other hand it is depressing.

rule #1: never 'misunderestimate' the enemy.