FIGHTING THE WRONG WAR...BADLY:

Iraq Fires Policemen, Soldiers: 1,300 Refused to Fight During Clashes (Sholnn Freeman, 4/14/08, Washington Post)

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said more than 900 soldiers and policemen, including 37 senior police officers, were fired in Basra, where Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched a security crackdown March 25. [...]

Almost from the start, the Basra crackdown ran into trouble from the Mahdi Army militia, which is loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Mahdi Army fighters ignored an order by Maliki to turn over their weapons and began challenging Iraqi forces in militia-controlled neighborhoods. [...]

"The situation in our neighborhood is bad," said Raad Abbas, a Basra policeman who lives in the district. "The Iraqi army has tried to get in, but the Mahdi Army fighters are banning them."

The problems in Basra have raised questions about the preparedness of Iraq's military and police, which the United States has spent more than $22 billion to build up.

They can't be prepared to fight fellow Shi'a.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 13, 2008 10:40 PM