What the hell is going on there?
Ok, this story is confusing and disturbing: It is reported that the Iraqi police exchanged fire with 2 Undercover UK soldiers who were planting explosives. The UK army sends tanks and breaks the 2 soldiers out freeing 150 criminals in the process. However, the UK army says that the reason they moved in was because the 2 soldiers were handed to the Muqtada Al Sadr's militia by the local police. They stormed the jail to discover that the soldiers were not there and they were later rescued from a nearby house. Okay, what the hell is going on there? If you can figure it out, let me know. Ok?
posted by The Sandmonkey @ 9/20/2005 01:02:00 AM
11 Comments:
read fisk's latest. The fires of sectarian violence has to be fed somehow, but thats too conspiratorial for you SM:)
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After successful intimidation at the polls in the last election, the Sadr-ites have been taking over the local Basra government, embezzling reconstruction contracts, undermining the rule of law, and creating a base for dictatorship, that's what's going on. The U.S. can't do much because it's all happening under the Brits noses.
If you want to know what is happening in the "British Zone" in Iraq, you need to go to Steven Vincent blog and start from the beginning and read it and the associated links to articles he had posted elsewhere.
He was murdered about three months ago in Basra by the local "police".
Papa Ray
West Texas
USA
Oh I forgot to add, they murdered an Iraqi stringer this week in Basra.
Papa Ray
Ya O ! SM mish 3awez irud 3ala ilemailat bita3na , tigi nishki to the UN :) finak ya SM yabni ????
The Sadr people have been murdering not only Stephen Vincent but several others. It seems we put the SAS on to investigate. and things went from there. The real trouble is that the British forces have allowed El Sadr a free rein. Maybe it was felt that there could not be any fighting because of poor support for the war in Britain.
Yeah, basically, I get the impression that these guys were watching what was going on and the police death squad caught up with them, but a smarter leader apparently decided to use them as scapegoats to embarrass the Brits and kept them alive.
Which means that Basrah is in a bad way for militant Shi'ites running amok. Fayrouz mentioned it several times and had an interview with a woman living there via the internet.
They were reporting multiple extra judicial murders for everything from women singing at a wedding to alleged alcohol or music sales.
Real sweeties those shi'ite militant folks.
I think the thing to remember is that Iranian arms, money and men are coming through Iraq and I believe that part of this is directly related to a mafia style take over of the town, where the groups are trying to control the area and the money, including from contracts.
I understand that anybody getting local contracts for reconstruction have to pay a large chunk of protection money if the jobs aren't awarded directly to the party selected contractor.
I don't think that the Brits are holding back because of support or no support at home. I believe that they simply have a different idea about how it should be done. Basically, they think that the locals should sort their own problems out. Unfortunately, that means murder, rape, theft, smuggling and intimidation get overlooked.
That is, until the murdering came to the attention of the media, then the Brits had no choice but to get involved.
Frankly, I would bet 10 bucks right now that these guys were betrayed by somebody inside the organizations that "work with" the Brits in security.
Good analyses, Kat. I don't think the Brits can work "with" the police/militias in Basra, and I don't think 8500 british troops in Basra is enough for them to work without Iraqi co-operation. My suggestion would be for the Brits to get the hell out of Basra, or make some sort of decision about how they want to interfere, and get enough backup to put that plan in play. Right now, they are just caught in the middle. Things are ugly, and bound to get uglier.
I dont think the Brits will get out of Basra before they have exhausted their goal, unlike yanks, they do a better job & dont whine about it.
# unlike yanks, they do a better job & dont whine about it.
You don't watch the BBC much, eh? :p
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