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

Badr Organization of Reconstruction and Development and pledged to disarm. The group,however, has reportedly remained armed, and today operates mainly in Shiite-controlledsouthern Iraq, where a number of regional governments are dominated by SCIRI representatives.One of Badr's recent offshoots is a feared, elite commando unit linked to the Iraqi InteriorMinistry called the Wolf Brigade. Sunni leaders have recently accused the Badr Organization ofrevenge killings against Sunni clerics and unlawful kidnappings.What other Shiite militia groups are there?Among them:* The Mahdi Army.Loyal to the young, anti-U.S. cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, this group ofthousands of armed loyalists fought U.S. forces for much of last year before agreeing to anOctober 2004 ceasefire. Recent news reports suggest the militia, which controls much of SadrCity, a Baghdad slum of some 2.5 million Shiites, may be regrouping and rearming itself.Muqtada al-Sadr has refused to participate directly in the Iraqi government, though some of hisfollowers were elected to seats on the Iraqi National Assembly.* Defenders of Khadamiya. This group is comprised of roughly 120 loyalists to Hussein al-Sadr, a distant relative of Muqtada al-Sadr and a Shiite cleric who ran on former Prime MinisterAyad Allawi's ticket in the January 30 elections. The brigade was formed to guard a shrine innorthern Baghdad popular among Shiites, and is one of a number of similar local forces that haveemerged.What is the Wolf Brigade?The most feared and effective commando unit in Iraq, experts say. Formed last October by aformer three-star Shiite general and SCIRI member who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Walid,the Wolf Brigade is composed of roughly 2,000 fighters, mostly young, poor Shiites from SadrCity. Members of the group reportedly earn as much as 700,000 Iraqi dinars, or $400, per month,a large sum in Iraqi terms. They dress in garb--olive uniform and red beret--redolent of SaddamHussein's elite guard; their logo is a menacing-looking wolf.How did the Wolf Brigade earn its reputation?Last December, the Wolf Brigade--backed up by the Iraqi army and U.S. military--achievednotoriety after launching a series of counterinsurgency operations in Mosul, a Sunni strongholdnorthwest of Baghdad. Their popularity was further buoyed by the success of Terrorism in theGrip of Justice, a primetime show on U.S.-funded Al Iraqiya television that features liveinterrogations of Iraqi insurgents by commandos. In one recent show, Abu Walid questionedaround 30 shabbily dressed suspects, some clutching photos of their victims, waiting to confesstheir crimes.Is the brigade controversial?Yes. Some Iraqis accuse the Wolf Brigade of targeting Palestinian refugees in Iraq, using tortureto extract confessions from prisoners, and slaying six Sunni clerics. Walid denies the charges,92