Militias Rule Iraq

If anyone still thinks that there isn't a civil war going on in Iraq, they need to read this piece from the Chicago Tribune. After reading this I am beginning to believe that Iraq has to be divided up into three countries.

The militias, which are really small armies loyal to their cleric or sect of Islam, are taking people from their homes. Some just get beat, others are killed.

(Chicago tribune)"We're not stupid. We know for a fact that they're killing people," said Lt. Col. Chris Pease, deputy commander of the U.S. military's police training programs in eastern Baghdad. "We dig the damn bodies out of the sewer all the time. But there's a difference between knowing something and proving something."

.....Eight armed men from the Mahdi Army stormed Taha's apartment about three weeks ago and dragged him away in front of his wife and three young children. They told his terrified wife that they were only taking him to their office to ask him a few questions and would have him back within an hour.

Instead, they held Taha for more than 24 hours in which they beat him, interrogated him and then ran him and his family out of their home.

As bad as they sound, some Iraqis actually think they should not be made to give up their guns.

"It's not the time to ask the militias to put down their arms when we cannot properly provide security," said Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem Abdul Rahman al-Yusuf, a Sunni. The general said his national police brigade is 87 percent Shiite and includes some members aligned with the Badr Organization. "When the Iraqi army and police can provide security, then we can tell the militias that it is time to stop."

So where do we go. We can't get rid of the militias until an Iraqi army and police department are created, but we can't establish a real army or police department until they stop blowing up recruits outside of a police station. Nor when the people doing the blowing up are also.........in the army and police.

I used to think, that even though I was against this war, if we are going to be there, we might as well do it right. Now I am thinking that we just need to start bringing home the troops now. Not all at once obviously, but I do think we need to start making moves now

I think if we start withdrawing troops, other countries that weren't so willing to help, will want to. Especially the neighbors of Iraq who don't want a unstable neighbor. For this to happen however, Bush will have to give up some control and some of the money. At some point we are going to have to offer a carrot, because we can't keep waving the stick.