Insurgents 'joining Iraqi police'

[kiwitt]

Iraq's police force is recruiting insurgents and former criminals to its ranks, according to a report released by the US defence department.

It blames poor vetting procedures and recommends that the quality of records at Iraq's interior ministry be checked.

US-run training programmes, in which more than 60,000 Iraqi recruits have taken part, are only a qualified success, the Pentagon report says.

An earlier report found only 50% of battalions able to combat insurgents.

The formation of an effective police force is a key element of attempts to combat the insurgency in Iraq, in which hundreds of police officers and would-be recruits have been killed.

'Infiltration'

The report praises the work of the police during January's election, and says police officers are increasingly visible on the streets.

But it says many new recruits are illiterate, have criminal records or are physically disabled.

"Inducting criminals into the [Iraqi police] is a continual concern," the report says, quoted by AP news agency.

"Even more troubling is infiltration by intending terrorists or insurgents. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that such persons indeed are among the ranks of the [police]."

The report adds that coalition personnel are ineffective as recruiters, and focus on quantity rather than quality.

"There is a perception that training programmes have produced 'cannon fodder' - numbers of nominal policemen incapable of defending themselves, let alone the Iraqi public," it says.

Current plans are for a 135,000-strong force.

US-led forces are expected to stay in the country until Iraqi security forces are able to withstand the insurgent on their own.

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What happens when insurgents are part of the "Iraqi" Force. Looks like the US could be in for a long stay. Training the very same people the techniques that will be used to defend against. What a "quagmire" this is.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Heck weve probably got terrorists joining our own . Remember that guy who through a grenade in his own guys tent?

[Al Khalifah]

One of the characters is a muslim extremist who joined the Secret Service, and almost assinsates the President.

Sounds like another story from the Tom Clancy generic political thriller generator...

This is a real concern that I have had for some time both in Iraq and at home. There is a new genuine threat to security forces that clean case terrorists, with no previous records or confirmed contacts with existing terror leaders, will join up and serve. Such recruits will be almost undetectable until they do something devastating - whether it's looking the other way when a terrorist moves a bomb through airport security or actively attacking commrades in the line of fire. Either way, every bad apple in a force will surely undo the hard work of many others.

A dangerous scenario indeed.

[Templar Knight]

Heck weve probably got terrorists joining our own . Remember that guy who through a grenade in his own guys tent?

There was a program on the BBC last night called 'The New Alqeda', featured on it was a converted muslim in the US Army who planned to give details of US tanks and their weak spots to the Iraqis so that they could kill the crew and take over the tanks. He was foiled and arrested when a woman pretending to be a terrorist told the FBI.

[Xiahou]

Hmm, I wonder if the BBC is running out of bad news from Iraq to report? This isn't really anything new. We've heard about problems like this since they started recuiting the police/military.