Panel Will Urge Broad Overhaul of Iraqi Police

Well, that headline is a little misleading in that the head of the commission says the current units of the police should "be scrapped". That's some "overhaul".

Now I'm not really sure he believes that. If he does, it would be a horrible mistake.

If the rotten eggs in the police department can't be uncovered, how in hell could they avoid rehiring them? I don't think he's thought this through.

An independent commission established by Congress to assess Iraq’s security forces will recommend remaking the 26,000-member national police force to purge it of corrupt officers and Shiite militants suspected of complicity in sectarian killings, administration and military officials said Thursday.

The commission, headed by Gen. James L. Jones, the former top United States commander in Europe, concludes that the rampant sectarianism that has existed since the formation of the police force requires that its current units “be scrapped” and reshaped into a smaller, more elite organization, according to one senior official familiar with the findings. The recommendation is that “we should start over,” the official said.

The report, which will be presented to Congress next week, is among a number of new Iraq assessments — including a national intelligence estimate and a Government Accountability Office [GAO] report — that await lawmakers when they return from summer recess. But the Jones commission’s assessment is likely to receive particular attention as the work of a highly regarded team that was alone in focusing directly on the worthiness of Iraq’s army and police force.

Via New York Times.

U.S. toll in March is twice Iraq forces

Are the Iraqis stepping up or stepping back? I'm going with back.

The U.S. military death toll in March, the first full month of the security crackdown, was nearly twice that of the Iraqi army, which American and Iraqi officials say is taking the leading role in the latest attempt to curb violence in the capital, surrounding cities and Anbar province, according to figures compiled on Saturday.

I'm being somewhat facetious here because the story lists 81 US military deaths as opposed to 44 Iraqi Army deaths which makes that headline off just a bit because it isn't the forces, but rather the army and twice 44 ain't 81. But then it goes on to state 165 Iraqi police were killed, many of them operating as paramilitary fighters.

I would argue anyone fighting for the Iraqi government falls under the category Iraq forces.

Totally off topic, but why do reporters write about the US Army, but write about the Iraqi army without the capital letter? Are they any less noble nor deserving of respect because they aren't in one of our uniforms?

And while I'm nit picking here, why is it Iraqi [A]rmy, but Iraq forces instead of Iraqi forces?

Sometimes I relish an honest display of my ignorance.

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