Guardian: Basra out of control, says chief of police

[Robbien]

Families can still stroll but militia gangs hold power in port city

Rory Carroll in Basra
Tuesday May 31, 2005
The Guardian

The chief of police in Basra admitted yesterday that he had effectively lost control of three-quarters of his officers and that sectarian militias had infiltrated the force and were using their posts to assassinate opponents.

Speaking to the Guardian, General Hassan al-Sade said half of his 13,750-strong force was secretly working for political parties in Iraq's second city and that some officers were involved in ambushes. Other officers were politically neutral but had no interest in policing and did not follow his orders, he told the Guardian. "I trust 25% of my force, no more."

The claim jarred with Basra's reputation as an oasis of stability and security and underlined the burgeoning influence of Shia militias in southern Iraq. "The militias are the real power in Basra and they are made up of criminals and bad people," said the general. "To defeat them I would need to use 75% of my force, but I can rely on only a quarter."

. . .

In marked contrast to Baghdad, razor wire and blast walls are uncommon in Basra and instead of cowering indoors after dark families take strolls along the corniche. But Gen Sade said the tranquillity had been bought by ceding authority to conservative Islamic parties and turning a blind eye to their militias' corruption scams and hit squads.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1495800,00.html

[autorank]

1. Maybe they should change the name to "Greater Iran"

This was the British project, those enlightened folks who fucked the Irish for low these many years. Thanks for nothing bLiar.

NEW LEADERS FOR A NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY!

Contact the DNC and Give 'em Hell About NOT Acting on Election Fraud

[annabanana]

2. don't look for THIS little tidbit on your TV tonight...

or tomorrow,
or the day after....

[Roland99]

3. Well...isn't this grand. Is anyone surprised by this? I'm not.

Basra is moving backwards to something more akin to what the Taliban were exerting in Afghanistan. But, hey, the people are "free". They've been "liberated" from tyranny. Well, meet the new boss, same as the old boss (more violence, more corruption.)

And behind it all are the misguided directions of ideologues in the WH and Pentagon.


Beautiful.

[Barrett808]

4. "I'm optimistic. It's a five to 10 year project."

Colin Smith, a deputy chief constable and Britain's senior police adviser in Iraq, said the Basra force's ability to patrol and investigate crimes was an "exponential development" from two years ago and he expected improvements to accelerate.

"I'm optimistic. It's a five to 10 year project, it won't be overnight," he said.

So that's optimism in occupied Iraq.

[Chomskyite]

5. In 2003

. . . Basra was supposed to be the city we'd have no trouble whatsoever controlling. The same with Mosul. Both are cauldrons now.

[Robbien]

6. Basra has never been really peaceful

Its just that the Brits have been keeping out of Basra conflicts so very little has gotten into the global media. Back when al-Sadr was in active rebellion, Basra was being taken over by militant Islams.

[wookie294]

7. Southern Iraq is a theocracy

Islamist militias patrolling Basra
Sunday, April 24, 2005
By Delphine Minoui, Special to the Post-Gazette

BASRA, Iraq -- Sheikh Assad al-Basri says there's no need to worry that he and his Islamist militiamen might recreate a repressive Iranian-style theocracy in Iraq.

That's because the Islamic Republic of Iran is far too liberal, according to Basri, the leading local representative of rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

"Only 5 percent of Iranians abide by real Islamic laws," said Basri, who boasts that he and his cohorts already have blown up most of Basra's liquor stores, punished "decadent picnickers" and imposed Islamic dress codes on women. "The rest of Iranians are corrupt. Look, there are drugs and girls who don't wear hijab well in Iran."

Iraq's new Shiite-led national government vows it will respect and tolerate all of the country's religious and ethnic groups and will create a model democratic constitution for a region gripped by Islamic fervor.

But on the streets of this once-liberal port city -- which years ago featured a row of casinos and bars along its waterfront -- Islamist militias already have begun imposing a harsh version of Islamic law that has shocked many residents.

"They have managed to impose a republic of fear," said Yasser Qassim, a local journalist who publishes stories under a pen name out of fear for his safety.

(more)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05114/493468.stm

[okoboji]

8. wow

no surprise .....

just too bad it can't be the good ol days - where there was 2 no fly zones and the people of Iraq had food, water, and electricity, and that evil evil man with the gun was in charge.

give the U.S. a couple of more months to figure out how they will get to test one of their mini nukes on Basra - then the town will be back under control

[annabanana]

9. keep it kicked for am cube rats... . . .n/t

[Supersedeas]

10. feed them more Jacko