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

clarification of what happened in Sadr City, we will review the issue with the multinationalforces so that it will not be repeated."Mr al-Maliki, needless to say, needs the backing of Moqtada al-Sadr, who controls Sadr City.Falan Hassan Shansai, the leader of the Sadr bloc, which has 30 out of the 275 seats in theparliament, publicly warned of the consequences if such action was, indeed, repeated.In the south, 800 members of the Mehdi Army in black uniforms stormed Amarah, the capital ofMaysan province, recently vacated by the British, and took over the city. Dozens were killed inthe fighting, while around 500 British forces were put on standby in Basra but did not intervene.Moqtada's men left after blowing up three of the main police stations.The Mehdi Army does not always have to resort to violence to achieve its aim. In districts itcontrols, such as Hurriyah in north-west Baghdad, owners of businesses and properties aresimply told they are being taken over, and large red crosses are painted on the premises as amessage that they have a few days to leave.Sergeant Jeff Nelson, an intelligence analyst with the US army's 1st Battalion, 23rd InfantryRegiment, in Baghdad, said: "They have infiltrated every branch of public service and everypolitical office they can get their hands on. As soon as the US leaves, they will be able todominate the area with key citizens, key offices."Sgt Nelson said his battalion has investigated 40 sectarian killings and collected 57 bodies in oneweek. None had led to any arrest. He said: "Sometimes we have a feeling of completehopelessness."One reason why Mr al-Maliki's government was not told about the Sadr City raid was that thishas led in the past to the targets being warned off. Earlier this month, the Americans receivedintelligence about a Shia militia torture chamber in Baghdad. Captain Kevin Sage, whose unitwas due to raid the address, needed approval from the Iraqi authorities. This was delayed forseveral days, and, when it eventually came through, the two-storey building was found to beabandoned.Being arrested does not mean that militia members will be kept in custody. Major Hussein al-Qaisi, a battalion commander with the 6th Division of the Iraqi army, said: "Sometimes they willback them up no matter what, and we just have to let them go."183