Iraq Balks at U.S. Bid to Widen Sunni Police Role

[rodeodance]

Source: nytimes


Iraq Balks at U.S. Bid to Widen Sunni Police Role
Joao Silva for The New York Times

Recruits who are training to be police officers at an American-financed academy in Habbaniya, Iraq, lined up for lunch recently.


By MICHAEL R. GORDON
Published: October 28, 2007

HABBANIYA, Iraq — The American military’s push to organize Sunni Arabs into local neighborhood watch groups has been one of the United States’ most important initiatives in Iraq — so much so that President Bush flew to Anbar Province in September to highlight growing alliances with Sunni tribal leaders.

But now that the Americans are trying to institutionalize the arrangement by training the Sunnis to become policemen, the effort has been hampered by halfhearted support and occasionally outright resistance from a Shiite-dominated national government that is still inclined to see the Sunnis as a once and future threat.

It was the American military that pressed to open the new Habbaniya Police Training Center, where Sunni tribesmen and former insurgents are to be trained to serve as policemen in Anbar. And it was the Americans who provided the uniforms, food, new classrooms and equipment for the police recruits.

While the Iraqi government has agreed to basic police instruction at the academy, it has balked at training police leaders there. The government has also scaled back plans by Anbar officials to expand the provincial police force by almost 50 percent..................

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/world/middleeast/28sunnis.html?ref=world

[Kagemusha]

1. The Shiites are winning the war. Why would they want to start losing now?

They rule Baghdad, they have control over the army and police, the US military takes care of the real fighting while they do the ethnic cleansing... what is wrong with this picture from their point of view? What's wrong is the US arming and training its enemies. Sunnis.

[Xipe Totec]

2. Amazing what they've learned after walking 4 1/2 years in Saddam's shoes... nt

[Igel]

3. Could be they're just applying the lessons they learned before.

Nothing new here, why say they reinvented the wheel?

[ohio2007]

4. it's that old time religion that prevents them from

turning the other cheek,love thy neighbor ect.....
It has to start at the grass roots level imo, never mind the official party line.

[nebula]

5. Iraq Hampers U.S. Bid to Widen Sunni Police Role

Source: NY Times

HABBANIYA, Iraq — The American military’s push to organize Sunni Arabs into local neighborhood watch groups has been one of the United States’ most important initiatives in Iraq — so much so that President Bush flew to Anbar Province in September to highlight growing alliances with Sunni tribal leaders.

Targets for shooting practice at the American-financed academy in Habbaniya were on display recently. The training has received halfhearted support from the Interior Ministry.

But now that the Americans are trying to institutionalize the arrangement by training the Sunnis to become policemen, the effort has been hampered by halfhearted support and occasionally outright resistance from a Shiite-dominated national government that is still inclined to see the Sunnis as a once and future threat.

...While the Iraqi government has agreed to basic police instruction at the academy, it has balked at training police leaders there. The government has also scaled back plans by Anbar officials to expand the provincial police force by almost 50 percent.





Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/world/middleeast/28sunnis.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

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Sure, this ought to go over real well with the Shiite-led government.