http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071221/ts_nm/iraq_hakim_dc_1;_ylt=Amuw09c3UKt.3 f5zbejN8jxX6GMA
Iraqi Shi'ite leader wants U.S.-backed units curbed 2 hours, 53 minutes ago BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's powerful Shi'ite Muslim leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, called on Friday for curbs on U.S.-backed neighborhood patrol units, which are mainly Sunni, saying weapons should only be in the hands of the government. <http://us.bc.yahoo.com/b?P=Y44u5kWTcuoePZk67p._gwQBQVjagkdrubYADVrx&T=17g2c turj%2fX%3d1198242230%2fE%3d7666528%2fR%3dnews%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d2.1%2fW%3dH%2fY %3dYAHOO%2fF%3d2244704095%2fH%3dY2FjaGVoaW50PSJuZXdzIiBjb250ZW50PSJnb3Zlcm5t ZW50O2l0O21pbGl0YXJ5O0l0O3NlY3VyaXR5OyIgcmVmdXJsPSIiIHRvcGljcz0iIg--%2fQ%3d- 1%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3d54719345&U=13bk2uf5p%2fN%3drgBtPkLEYpM-%2fC%3d619213.1161859 5.12104968.2311907%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d4940782> Hakim, head of the biggest party in the Shi'ite-led government, praised the role of the patrols, known to Iraqis as "Awakening Councils," in contributing to a sharp drop in violence but said they should only play an auxiliary role. "It is necessary that these Awakenings should be an arm of the government in chasing criminals and terrorists but not a substitute for it," he told hundreds of Shi'ites at his Baghdad compound in a speech marking the Muslim Eid al-Adha feast. "Weapons should only be in the hands of the government." The United States puts the number of the mainly Sunni Arab patrolmen at some 71,000 and credits them as an effective force in fighting Sunni al Qaeda militants. The U.S. military, which pays most of the men around $10 each a day, acknowledges that some of them may have had links to insurgent groups but says they are screened to weed out those responsible for attacks. Hakim said the patrols should be religiously mixed wherever possible, reflecting the discomfort of Iraqi Shi'ites leaders over the prospect of organized Sunni armed groups that could turn against them once U.S. forces withdraw. Under U.S. pressure, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government has decided to put most of the neighborhood patrols on its payroll by mid-2008. It says it will integrate some Awakenings members into its security forces while others will be given training for civilian jobs. Hakim also said the neighborhood patrols should only serve in "hot" areas where violence was still a threat. U.S. and Iraqi officials say violence has dropped to its lowest levels in nearly two years but warn that al Qaeda is regrouping in areas like the province of Diyala north of Baghdad after they were driven out of former strongholds. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
