Government by militia

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

I guess they're fighting over the flower concessions now they've been "liberated".

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060813/wl_nm/iraq_dc_40

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A Shi'ite leader has called for neighborhood committees to provide security in their own districts, casting further doubt on the ability of Iraqi and U.S. forces to reduce violence levels in Baghdad.

Hadi al-Amiri, a member of parliament and head of a Shi'ite militia, said the controversial committees were essential for security because Iraqi forces still lacked training and were not ready to tackle militants and insurgents.

"Our forces are not complete to take on this wide terrorism," he said in a recorded debate broadcast on state television on Sunday.

His remarks came as U.S. and Iraqi began an operation they describe as a make-or-break mission to claim back Baghdad's most dangerous rebel strongholds and disband militias in a bid to shore up confidence in the new Shi'ite-led government.

"If the situation stays as it is, this will mean the continued existence of militias. I talked with the Americans two years ago and told them if the security file is not resolved there will be hundreds of militias and now it has happened," said Amiri, who heads parliament's defense and security committee.