Thread: Iraq/Dinar News Up until April 5th 5PM CTZ.

Iraqi Police and Stabilizing Iraq
Jim Kouri
March 31, 2007


The National Strategy for Victory in Iraq articulates the desired end-state for US operations in Iraq: a peaceful, united, stable, and secure Iraq, well integrated into the international community, and a full partner in the global war on terrorism.

Developing capable Iraqi security forces is a critical component in US efforts to achieve this important goal. Since 2003, the United States has provided $15.4 billion to develop Iraqi military and police forces. The Department of Defense has also asked for an additional $5.8 billion in its fiscal year 2007 supplemental request and fiscal year 2008 Global War on Terror budget request to continue US efforts to develop Iraq forces and transition security responsibilities to them.

This article is based on GAO's issued reports and ongoing work on US efforts to stabilize Iraq. Although they reviewed both classified and unclassified documents, the information in this article is based only on unclassified documents.

As of February 2007, DOD reported that it had trained and equipped 327,000 Iraqi security forces -- a substantial increase from the 142,000 reported in March 2005. The Iraqi security force level is double that of the 153,000-strong US-led coalition currently in Iraq.

While the Iraqi security forces are increasingly leading counterinsurgency operations in Iraq, they and the coalition have been unable to reduce the levels of violence throughout Iraq. Enemy-initiated attacks per day had increased from about 70 in January 2006 to about 160 in December 2006.

Several factors affect the development of effective Iraqi security forces and help explain why the reported growth in Iraqi security forces has not decreased violence. First, the Iraqi security forces are not a single unified force with a primary mission of countering the insurgency in Iraq. About 40 percent of the Iraqi security forces have a primary mission of counterinsurgency -- specifically, the Iraqi army.

The other major component -- the Iraqi police -- has civilian law enforcement as its primary mission.

Second, high rates of absenteeism and poor ministry reporting result in an overstatement of the number of Iraqi security forces present for duty. The Ministry of the Interior does not maintain standardized reports on personnel strength. As a result, DOD does not know how many coalition-trained police the ministry still employs or what percentage of the 180,000 police thought to be on the payroll are coalition trained and equipped.

Third, sectarian and militia influences have divided the loyalties of Iraqi security forces. In November 2006, for example, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency stated that the Ministry of Interior and the police were heavily infiltrated by militia members of the Badr Organization and Mahdi Army.

According to the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, sectarian divisions have eroded the dependability of many Iraqi army units. Fourth, as we previously reported, Iraqi units remain dependent upon the coalition for their logistical, command and control, and intelligence capabilities.

As of December 2006, the coalition was providing significant levels of support to the Iraqi military, including fuel and ammunition. The extent of these problems cannot be fully assessed without detailed information on the readiness of each Iraqi unit. While DOD captures this information in its Transition Readiness Assessments (TRAs), it does not provide this critical information to Congress. These data provide information on capabilities and gaps in Iraqi units' manpower, equipment, and training levels, and as of late 2006, assess each unit's operational effectiveness.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He's also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri's own website is located at Jim Kouri, CPP

Iraq's Shia militia 'stood down'
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says the Shia militia known as the Mahdi Army has stopped its activities on the orders of its leader, Moqtada Sadr.
The president described this as a new phenomenon, and a positive response to the new Iraqi-US security plan.

He was speaking after receiving the new US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, who expressed hope for progress towards stability and prosperity.

But it came as officials said a bombing last week was Iraq's deadliest ever.

The interior ministry raised the death toll from Tuesday's truck bomb in a market in the town of Talafar to 152, making it the deadliest single attack of the insurgency.

Spokesman Brigadier Abdul Kareem Khalaf explained the delay in raising the death toll, saying 100 homes had been destroyed in the main blast.

"It took us a while to recover all the bodies from underneath the rubble of the homes... what did they achieve by using two tonnes of explosive to kill and wound 500 in a residential area?"

However the figure of 152 was disputed by the mayor of the town, and dismissed by the US, which said the official count was still 83 dead.


The bomb attacks sparked a series of reprisals, apparently by Shia policemen, in which dozens of Sunni men were taken from their homes and shot dead.

The Reuters agency said vehicle and suicide bombings - which are generally blamed on Sunni extremists - had killed 400 people in Shia areas across the country in the past week.

Analysts say the bombing campaign has continued largely unabated since the Iraqi government, backed by US troops, launched a security crackdown in Baghdad in February.

Reprisals by Shia militias on Sunnis, however, have reportedly fallen off since the crackdown was imposed.

The Mahdi Army is one of the groups blamed for such attacks. It has been described by the US as the greatest threat to security in Iraq.

"People now are cooperating with government forces against terrorism as part of the security plan," Mr Talabani said.

"Not to mention the fact that the Mahdi Army has become inactive. Apparently the instructions of brother Moqtada Sadr have been effective, whereby there are no longer complaints by brother Sunni Arabs about attacks against them like before."

Arbil-Sabah new :
Yesterday Iraqi President Jalal Talabani Friday in the Baghdad residence of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who came to offer his congratulations to President Talabani on his recovery and safe return after being subjected to health Oakh light recently.


The meeting was attended by Dr. Barham Ahmed Salih, the Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Latif Rashid, Minister of Water Resources Dr. Muwaffaq Rubaie, national security adviser. President Talabani, during the meeting, expressed his thanks and gratitude to the visit of Mr. Al-Maliki and the friendly feelings and attitudes. President Talabani also made light of the results of active participation in the Arab summit in Riyadh and the content of his talks with Arab leaders participating in this summit, as Prime Minister described the visit of President Talabani to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a successful visit.
Both sides stressed the need to support the plan to impose the law, stressing the importance of unifying the political discourse of the leaders of the political blocs and representatives of the various Iraqi factions

New controls for the application of a new salary
Baghdad-Al A'ala
The Ministry of Finance issued a circular to all ministries to facilitate the application of controls to ensure peace for the salaries of new state employees, set new career marks in the tables governmental institutions funded centrally within the current year budget 2007 b (137) thousand (230) degree under various headings and functional specializations in all the governorates of the country, including the Kurdistan region.

He said a high-ranking source in the ministry told a special permit (morning) that the new regulations adopted by the ministry ruled consistently and Kelly ministries and advisers who are Pedrjathm functional and general managers charging current salaries to the same degree as the Supreme (a) and (b) of the peace grades and salaries Supplement ordered disbanded coalition authority No. (30) of 2003, with retain staff who occupy positions of the first four grades of peace grades wages and salaries, as well as an annual bonus entitlement amount specified in the scale of salaries and grades after the end of one year in the career service from the date of granting actual current salaries.
The source added that the new controls includes transferring staff who have jobs in the class XI of the peace grades and salaries to the above matter to class ten and the same job and salary sequence where they were.
And on the employee who was placed in a certain degree on January 1, 2004 in accordance with the Ministry publication No. 797 in the January 14, 2004, the source said these dates are considered the basis for the calculation of a promotion to the next post, explaining that if the employee a promotion-for example - five years under the new scale, it deserves promotion on January 1, 2009, that meets the conditions prescribed by the law or a specific date after the date mentioned for promotion, and provides the vacant post, conditions and qualifications required for its work. He stressed that in the event of an employee's salary Exalter-class five-for example - to the fourth degree (after the existence of the conditions established for promotion) between the two tiers in class the fourth tier salary of the next higher rank. With regard to new recruits who do not hold academic certificates, the source said that this category had donated by 140 thousand dinars a minimum of ten degrees from a new grades, as the designated receive a certificate of the current salary of the primary (144) thousand dinars as a second-class ten.
On the other hand, the ministry degrees new career divided between the ministries and departments not related to the Ministry within the current year budget in all the country's governorates, according to functional levels adopted in the State.
The same source said that the federal budget for 2007 included the development of 136 thousand and 905 degrees and careers for the appointment of new graduates of medical specialties, health and teaching and learning, as well as separated politicians and public offices of the inspectors in ministries and others. He explained that he was identified 20 thousand grade for teachers and educators to be appointed to the staff of the Ministry of Education, and eight thousand degree of competence medical and health staff of the Ministry of Health, and a thousand degree teaching for the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and 30 thousand policemen of the Ministry of the Interior and 40 thousand for the military establishment and the Ministry of Defense.
He added that in 2641 a different degree had been allocated to the Ministry of Justice, 465 foreign and 84 degrees to the Ministry of Trade and 221 of the environment, was the allocation of 29 thousand and 470 degrees from diverse disciplines to the Kurdistan region, and (in 2000) the degree of the Court of stay Sunni and (in 1251) to stop Shiite, and (21) of the Court of Christians and other communities.

Al-Maliki adviser for Economic Affairs : the law of oil and gas will provide a reconstruction budget of 200 billion dollars during the nine years
01 / 04 / 200

Al-Maliki adviser for Economic Affairs : the law of oil and gas will provide a reconstruction budget of 200 billion dollars during the nine years

D occur. Kamal visual Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister in a seminar on the law of oil and economic challenges organized by the Association of Muslim youth in London, Mr. Basri started his lecture about the challenges facing the Iraqi economy, foremost of which is : security side, the adoption of the Iraqi economy, the oil sector, the weakness of state institutions, and the absence of agricultural production, foreign debt, unemployment, the collapse of infrastructure, and the absence of a clear economic policy, and the tremendous waste in support of the State of the card supply and oil derivatives, and disguised unemployment and others disguised account for about 20 % currently.

And Mr. Alloza Adviser to the President that the volume of state spending of 50 trillion dinars, while state revenues of approximately 45 trillion Iraqi dinars, and that the State has the budget deficit at about 5 trillion dinars, and added that a large part of the deficit is due to extravagance by the State in support of derivatives oil and the ration card and disguised unemployment.

The d. Kamal Basri, said the state was paying out in support of oil derivatives, including nearly 12 trillion dinars, and added that 20 of those derivatives backed by the State, escaping to neighboring countries, either ration card seller and costs the state budget , including nearly 4 trillion dinars, in addition to supporting the state's hidden unemployment and widespread in factories in the State, including nearly 840 million dollars, and the State in support of travel to the pilgrimage of $ 45 million.

He added. Kamal that the total amount of government support, has become a big burden on the state budget and in economic growth, as well as to stop Iraq's debt, estimated 190 billion dollars, which required the Paris Club to settle the debt of Iraq to stop supporting the state, so that dropping 80% of Iraq's debt. He added that a large proportion of those debts, returning to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and refuses to settle for fear of the political process in Iraq.

The Adviser to the Prime Minister for Economic Affairs that there is a plan to compensate currency, material ration card with a competitive market for materials supply in the Iraqi market, and that the plan will be implemented in the beginning, in the three governorates of Dahuk, Samawah, Hillah, and the amount of compensation will share 10 per person.

It then spoke d. Basri on the law of oil and gas as defined by law : that the development and increasing production while ensuring social justice for oil imports, and added that the structural law consists of the Ministry of Oil, and the Federal Council and the provinces, and these three departments under the control of the Council of Ministers.

Adviser to the Prime Minister said that the law gives the state central planning, and the oil policy of the country and left to the regions of freedom and the application of those plans The policies, and d continued. Basri, said Iraq needed to 200 billion dollars for the reconstruction of the country, this amount can be provided only after 20 years if the National Oil Company was able to maintain production of three million barrels per day.
"
D and continued. Basri, said the oil and gas if it is applied well within a well-thought-out strategy would enable the state to develop oil production and therefore it can save the reconstruction of Iraq during the period of a maximum of nine years.

Translated version of http://marsadiraq.com/

Originally Posted by ordinaryseawoman

No sweat Inquisitive--so glad you liked it. I love the one with the girls in the pastel burkahs... I posted the link a while back but got no responses...maybe people will check it out now.

I'm off to the movies...have a good night everyone...may we all go to sleep poor and wake up rich!!

OrdinarySeaWoman

first impression, I thought the same... the pink and green..made me want to drop a note to their Mother. I love it ..a positive Iraq..springtime...and thanks for teaching me, "burkahs"...I apologize to all for my prior, 'Berka" (Bad)

Iraqi participation .. Oman attracts meeting of the Financial Action Task Force for the Middle East
Source : Al Sabah-01 / 04 / 2007

There will be a Financial Action Task Force for the Middle East and North Africa held its fifth meeting in Amman early next April under the chairmanship of the Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan, Dr. Touqan illiteracy.

The group is meant "an independent group of a voluntary nature and cooperative," was established in 2004 and based in Bahrain to adopt and implement international standards and recommendations on combating money-laundering and the financing of terrorism and the application of treaties and conventions of the United Nations resolutions. It also means adopting and implementing Security Council resolutions on combating money laundering and financing of terrorism through the establishment of an effective system implemented by the States in line with the cultural values and their constitutional and legal systems.

It should be pointed out that the group does not emerge from the international treaty to confirm the seriousness of the countries of the region in addressing the risks posed by money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Participating in the meeting in addition to Iraq, the UAE, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Yemen, France, Britain and the United States of America and Spain.

Will also participate in the meeting by representatives of the IMF and the World Bank and the International Financial Action Group "expected" and the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime and the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf states.

Iraq's participation in such a group aware of the risks posed by money laundering and the financing of terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa and the belief that these risks could be addressed effectively through cooperation among the countries of the region.

Central proves the price of the dollar on Sunday
Source : file Presse-01 / 04 / 2007

A statement issued by the Central Bank of Iraq that the bank will continue to sell and buy dollars next Sunday, the first of April, which will be holiday occasion of the Prophet's birthday-Sharif yesterday, Thursday, the same price.

The exchange rate adopted on Thursday in the auction had reached 1273 dinars to the dollar selling and buying dinars in 1271.

Dealers said the auction with the Iraqi Central Bank on Sunday that the meeting will not undergo normal auction process but will be under the direct sale of exchange rates adopted at the auction last Thursday that the sale will be open to the quantities required, in addition to that the bank will buy any amount of foreign exchange before being sold to banks of the bank.

A Fair for (catalogs) of 21 American and European companies in Babylon

Translated by IRAQdirectory.com - [01/04/2007]

The Center of developing Iraqi economy in Babel organized an exhibition for catalogs of 21 American and Western companies to support the Iraqi economy and open the way for Iraqi traders to join foreign companies in various construction and service projects, in the first experiment of its kind in Central Euphrates.

The Board chairman, Salah Bahiyah, said that the idea of organizing an exhibition for companies’ catalogs came to substitute organizing an exhibition for the products of these companies, which the Center intended to hold in Babylon, pointing out that a number of security constraints, as well as lack of resources in Babylon to host exhibitors from different countries of the world prevented holding the exhibition.

He said the Center contacted a number of companies and agreed with them to send their catalogs and that 21 companies have responded to that. On the other hand, the Center called a number of traders and Iraqi businessmen to attend the exhibition in order to open channels of partnership between them and the participating international companies.

He pointed out that Iraqi investors need the international expertise in the fields of reconstruction and investment, particularly in the sectors of agriculture and industry, which had suffered from neglect and deficiency due to the lack of local expertise and potential problems caused by the policies of the former regime, pointing out that the objective of introducing new methods in reconstruction projects focused on the adoption of the prefabricated constructive way that commensurate with the technical possibilities available in Iraq; at the same time stressing that this type of business needs international expertise to be involved with the Iraqi investors in order to provide them with technique and finance.

On his part, Alaa Harba, member of the Center, confirmed the need for the local administration in Babylon to include within their current plans building a hotel or guest hall to accommodate commercial delegations, which are expected to host in Babylon, pointing out to the need of maintaining such kind of projects that commensurate with the need of the province for sewage, water and electricity projects.

He said that the lack of a tourist facility for housing the delegations had canceled the exhibition of Iranian goods which the Center intended to set up in Hilla, compelling the Center to replace it with the current exhibition, hoping that conditions in future may facilitate holding international exhibitions to make it possible for Iraqi capital owners to open up to international companies.

The opening of the exhibition, which lasted two days, was attended by Head of the Contractors Federation in Karbala, as well as a number of merchants and capital owners representing the Central Euphrates provinces.

English : needing roads council welcomes approval of article 140
01.04.07
Needing roads, at times very. 1, P.. 2

Head of needing roads council considered approval decisions of supreme committee to execute the article 140 of Iraqi constitution which case related to needing roads historical position from Premiership because it's supporting to all oppressed and returning rights to its owners

Zarcar Ali added that the Cabinet approved with majority on decisions of the Governmental committee to execute the article 140, but it put a condition that word "all desirous" should added to one of four decisions which related to return Arabs coming to their areas first.

ÌÑíÏÉ ÇáÕÈÇÍ - Kirkuk council welcomes approval of article 140