Fallujans may be invited into Iraqi army

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040815-024300-4091r

RAMADI, Iraq, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The Iraqi Ministry of Defense is offering members of the Fallujah Brigade the option of joining the Iraqi National Guard as a unit or the Iraqi Army as individuals, provided they pass a personal screening for past involvement with Saddam Hussein's regime, according to U.S. military officials.

The ministry has surveyed 180 members of the controversial Fallujah Brigade to determine which is the more attractive option, their hope to find a peaceful way out of the violence and lawlessness that strangles that city and threatens efforts to stabilize the country. snip

The Fallujah Brigade was created as part of a cease-fire agreement on May 10 after nearly six weeks of on-and-off fighting that claimed hundreds of Iraqis and at least 10 U.S. Marines. The force of about 2,000 fighters was intended to put Fallujah residents in charge of their own security.

In exchange for the withdrawal of U.S. Marines from Fallujah -- about a third of which was occupied -- the Fallujah Brigade promised to remove all foreign fighters and force the insurgents to give up their heavy weapons. They were also supposed to handover the murderers of the four contractors, and assure freedom of movement for the coalition forces through the city. This should have allowed reconstruction to begin after the devastating four-week urban battle.

None of these conditions have been met, according to Marine officials.

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[Barrett808]

1. Amazing, but somehow not surprising, revelations

...

RCT-1 has a more immediate problem on its hands. For at least the second time in three months large parts of the Iraqi National Guard in Fallujah have deserted their posts, many of them fearing for their or their families' safety in the wake of the kidnapping of the battalion commanders on Monday. Only 65 of nearly 200 Iraqi soldiers showed for work at one ING company headquarters on Friday, according to the U.S. Marine in charge of their training.

...

Officials close to the plan said the ING will likely be given housing on bases. They risk being killed by the mujahideen if they return to their homes in the city.

Like the police, ING soldiers who fail to report with their weapons and ID will be put on a blacklist. Soldiers not wishing to rejoin the ING but who turn in their weapons and uniforms will be suspended without pay. Many soldiers lost their weapons and uniforms when they fled their barracks Aug. 9. If they rejoin their colleagues, they will have to be completely reequipped. It would be the third time this has happened since April.

[daleo]

2. Perhaps the plan is to slowly expand the green zone

Until it covers all of Iraq. Basing the "Iraqi National Guard" inside U.S. bases is just a first stage in this cunning plan.

[Disturbed]

3. 14 US Military bases.

These are being constructed by Haliburton.

[DulceDecorum]

4. Omar, this is your chance to infiltrate.

Learn where they keep their weapons of mass destruction.
We are going to need them.

[bemildred]

5. How long do we have to watch this stupidity?

It's painful. It's embarrassing.
Name ONE GODDAMN thing these assholes have got right.
There is NO REASON to think that unbroken string of fuckups
will change today, or tomorrow.
Can't we just bring the troops home now? They deserve better,
and so do we from our government.

[Gloria]

6. Well, that's nice but.....

Last week in the World Media Watch...I posted an article about the former Republican Guard guy, who wasn't at all afraid to put his name out there, talking about how Najaf wasn't as well equipped or trained, so they are sending a nice group of Fallujan fighters down to help train the Najaf fighters on RPGs and those Russian rifles.....

So I guess some of these Fallujans have other ideas......

[0007]

7. Call up the Salvation Army.