Stig Swanson
Inactive
U.S. Troops Arrest U.S.-Backed Iraqis
Apr 22, 3:26 PM (ET)
By CHRIS TOMLINSON
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. troops arrested fighters of the U.S.-backed Free Iraqi Forces on Tuesday after they were found looting abandoned homes of former members of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Fighters of the group have been caught repeatedly while looting homes in an enclave in Baghdad where members of Saddam's Baath Party lived, said Army Staff Sgt. Bryce Ivings, of Sarasota, Fla.
On Tuesday, soldiers from A Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment detained four suspected looters dressed in the group's desert camouflage uniforms and carrying rocket-propelled grenades, Ivings said. The men, who did not speak English, were taken to a prisoner-of-war detention center.
Less than an hour later, another patrol found four other fighters - in uniform, but unarmed - carrying away china, glassware and clothing from empty houses, said Sgt. Jason Letterman of Marshfield, Missouri said. They were not held, but were told to cease looting, Letterman said.
"They said they were only stealing from houses belonging to Saddam's bodyguards," Letterman said. "We told them we can't let them steal stuff from anyone."
Some of the Free Iraqi Forces were trained, uniformed and brought to Iraq by the U.S. military to help U.S. troops.
They are the military wing of the U.S.-backed Iraqi National Congress, which is led by Ahmad Chalabi, an exile who enjoys strong support from the Pentagon and others in the Bush administration.
The members of the military wing carry official identification cards and some carry U.S.-issued weapons.
Telephone calls to the Iraqi National Congress headquarters in Baghdad were not answered Tuesday.
The new Baghdad police chief, on his first day on the job, complained to a U.S. officer that the Free Iraqi Forces, among others, have looted homes in Baghdad and refuse to obey police orders.
"They will not respect our men and we need the U.S. soldiers to help us control them," Zabar Abdul Razaq said.
Lt. Col. Alan King, commander of the 422nd Civil Affairs battalion and responsible for reconstituting the police, said U.S. troops will help enforce the law.
"The police can call U.S. troops and we will detain them," King assured Razaq.
King said he was concerned one of the Iraqi opposition parties that has returned to Iraq after Saddam's ouster may be trying to start a rival police force. He told Razaq his force is the only legitimate law enforcement in Baghdad and anyone trying to form another one would be treated as hostile forces.
Apr 22, 3:26 PM (ET)
By CHRIS TOMLINSON
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. troops arrested fighters of the U.S.-backed Free Iraqi Forces on Tuesday after they were found looting abandoned homes of former members of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Fighters of the group have been caught repeatedly while looting homes in an enclave in Baghdad where members of Saddam's Baath Party lived, said Army Staff Sgt. Bryce Ivings, of Sarasota, Fla.
On Tuesday, soldiers from A Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment detained four suspected looters dressed in the group's desert camouflage uniforms and carrying rocket-propelled grenades, Ivings said. The men, who did not speak English, were taken to a prisoner-of-war detention center.
Less than an hour later, another patrol found four other fighters - in uniform, but unarmed - carrying away china, glassware and clothing from empty houses, said Sgt. Jason Letterman of Marshfield, Missouri said. They were not held, but were told to cease looting, Letterman said.
"They said they were only stealing from houses belonging to Saddam's bodyguards," Letterman said. "We told them we can't let them steal stuff from anyone."
Some of the Free Iraqi Forces were trained, uniformed and brought to Iraq by the U.S. military to help U.S. troops.
They are the military wing of the U.S.-backed Iraqi National Congress, which is led by Ahmad Chalabi, an exile who enjoys strong support from the Pentagon and others in the Bush administration.
The members of the military wing carry official identification cards and some carry U.S.-issued weapons.
Telephone calls to the Iraqi National Congress headquarters in Baghdad were not answered Tuesday.
The new Baghdad police chief, on his first day on the job, complained to a U.S. officer that the Free Iraqi Forces, among others, have looted homes in Baghdad and refuse to obey police orders.
"They will not respect our men and we need the U.S. soldiers to help us control them," Zabar Abdul Razaq said.
Lt. Col. Alan King, commander of the 422nd Civil Affairs battalion and responsible for reconstituting the police, said U.S. troops will help enforce the law.
"The police can call U.S. troops and we will detain them," King assured Razaq.
King said he was concerned one of the Iraqi opposition parties that has returned to Iraq after Saddam's ouster may be trying to start a rival police force. He told Razaq his force is the only legitimate law enforcement in Baghdad and anyone trying to form another one would be treated as hostile forces.
