Local police units stop work in key Iraqi province

[Barrett808]

Source: Reuters

Local police units stop work in key Iraqi province
By Mohammed Abbas

BAGHDAD, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Thousands of members of neighbourhood police units have stopped work in one of Iraq's most dangerous provinces, Iraqi and U.S. military officials said on Friday.

The mainly Sunni Arab units, widely known as concerned local citizens, or "CLCs", said they had disbanded altogether which would represent a major blow to U.S. and Iraqi efforts to pacify Diyala province.

...

The leader of a CLC umbrella organisation for Diyala said the units were disbanding because Diyala's police had kidnapped two women. They would not regroup until the province's police chief, whom they accuse of sectarianism, was replaced.

Shi'ite provincial police chief, Major-General Ghanem al-Qureihsi, denied the accusations in an interview with the Washington Post this week.

"As a revenge for the honour of the kidnapped women we dissolved the popular committee (CLC units) in the province," Abu Talib, head of what he said was a 20,000-strong CLC movement in Diyala, told Reuters.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L29161747.htm

[blackspade]

1. Oh Crap.

And thus the final decent in Iraq begins...

[Barrett808]

3. When Sunni tribes, armed and funded by the US, resume open warfare with the Shi'ite government...

...then truly it will be "Mission Accomplished".

[WyldRogue]

2. My worries...

...are for our men and women in uniform that are caught up in *'s clusterf*ck. There should NOT be another US soldier's death for *'s crusade on making $$ for his cronies.