Iraq policeman: The US tries to take our weapons so the terrorists can come

[NNN0LHI]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/middle_east_iraq0s_neighbourhood_patrols/html/3.stm



Mehdi guard

Ahmad Abdel Karim, 21, is a police officer and Mehdi army member, and helps guard the area.
"Shoula property prices have risen a lot, because it is protected by the Mehdi Army and is safe," he says.

"Sunni families left on their own. No one threatened them. They left so that the bombs fall only on Shias.

"The Americans come here with the National Guard. They try to confiscate weapons from the Mehdi Army so that this area falls to the terrorists."

[xchrom]

1. chaos rules.

the situation is so dire -- it really does look like that was the plan all along.

i'm sorry -- i can only accept that the current mess is an ''accident'' or the reult of hard feelings but for so long -- and then i have to wonder if it isn't by design.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. Chaos rules because there are no rules.

What a complete mess, and we are in it up to our eyeballs.

[NNN0LHI]

3. This isn't the first time I have found such reports

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0724/p06s01-woiq.html

Seeking safety, Iraqis turn to militias

BAGHDAD – A floundering government campaign to crack down on militias and increasing sectarian killings have many Shiites turning to militias for protection, particularly radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's violent Mahdi Army. snip

Some residents blamed the US raid for the market attack, charging that it forced Mahdi Army members to abandon some of their impromptu checkpoints in the area that are meant to keep out attackers.

"When the Americans come through and break up the checkpoints, that's when we get hit by suicide bombs, like today," says Ahmed Awadh, a Sadr City resident who works in the Ministry of Trade. snip

As in Lebanon, where the government was hesitant to confront Hizbullah for fear of sparking civil war and had doubts about their own army's cohesion in such a battle. Maliki appears uncertain of his military's willingness to target Sadr's followers. Many Mahdi Army members also double as Iraqi soldiers and police. There could also be political fallout for Maliki if he appears to be an American puppet. .

Sadr has made the comparison himself with Hizbullah. Speaking on Friday, he vowed to support to the group.