US Training of Death Squads in Iraq? - War Is A Crime .org

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/iraq/3662963.htmlDeath squad probe launched in IraqBodies of a dozen more people found; 25 others die in violence across countryAssociated PressFeb. 16, 2006BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Shiite-dominated Interior Ministry announced an investigation todayinto claims of death squads in its ranks as police found a dozen more bodies, bringing thenumber of apparent victims of sectarian reprisal killings here to at least 30 this week.The probe was announced after U.S. military officials indicated there was evidence to supportthe allegation of death squads. The 12 men found today had been bound and shot in the headexecution-style.At least 27 other people were killed in violence across Iraq, including three tribal sheiks slain ina drive-by shooting. Three supporters of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr died in a mortarbarrage, and gunmen killed two owners of a convenience store that sold beer. Islamic extremistsoften target shops selling alcohol or DVDs deemed pornographic.Sunni Arabs have been complaining for months that kidnappings and murder by Shiite-ledcommandos operated by the Interior Ministry are driving many Sunnis into the ranks of theinsurgents. Shiites insist that they must retain control of Iraqi security forces in the nextgovernment.In the death squad case, Iraqi security officials said the Interior Ministry probe would focus on asingle incident involving 22 Iraqi policemen who U.S. authorities said were detained last monthbefore they were able to kill a Sunni Arab man north of Baghdad."They were dressed as Iraqi highway patrolmen but only four of those individuals were planningto conduct a kidnapping and subsequent murder of a Sunni individual," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynchtold reporters today.Maj. Gen. Joseph Peterson, who commands the civilian police training teams in Iraq, gave aslightly different version to the Chicago Tribune for a story today about the death squad.Peterson said the 22 men were wearing police commando uniforms but turned out to beemployed by the Interior Ministry as highway patrol officers. He said four were believed to beringleaders while the 18 others were likely following orders. All were picked up at a checkpoint."We continue to believe that there's more of these out there," he said.But Lynch said this could have been an isolated incident."We have no indication they have done this in the past," he said. "All we know this is an isolatedincident. We are not saying it couldn't have happened (previously), but we are not aware of it."118