Iraq: British and Danes stage pre-dawn raids (on policemen?)

[Charlie Brown]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/KHA454238.htm

BASRA, Iraq, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Hundreds of British and Danish troops staged early morning raids on the homes of Iraqi policemen in the southern city of Basra on Tuesday in an operation to root out rogue elements of the police force.

A British military spokesman, Major Peter Cripps, said the policemen were detained in connection with corruption and a number of unsolved murders in the city.

He said 14 people had been detained in the operation including "influential" members of the Basra police force's serious crimes and internal affairs units and the criminal investigation agency. Nine had since been released.

[sabra]

1. And this is supposed to be the "quiet" area of Iraq...

[Barrett808]

2. Oh yeah -- that'll help

Just a few "bad apples" after all. Just a few months ago, UK officials were saying the entire police force in the south would need to be rebuilt from scratch.

[endarkenment]

3. More Evidence of Iraqi Sovereignty. nt.

[Zynx]

4. Most of the Basra "police" are loyal to militias.

[endarkenment]

5. So that gives the occupation forces the right to kill them?

I mean seriously, what the heck is going on here? Of course the local police and the local militias are pretty much the same thing. If we are really intending to hand the country over to the Iraqi people then we have to do exactly that: hand the country over to the Iraqi people. If instead we intend to knock down any group that threatens our authority, then we are going to be there for a very long time, we are going to lose a lot more troops, and we are going to end up bugging out in a saigon city moment.