US now wants to recruit Saddam's soldiers

[NNN0LHI]

I would have swore these were the people we just "liberated the Iraqis from?

http://www.rediff.com/us/2003/sep/05iraq1.htm

The United States will recruit soldiers and policemen who served under Saddam Hussein's regime in the new Iraqi security forces, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said.

The US military is accelerating the process of bringing former members of Saddam Hussein's military -- and
possibly his security services -- into the Iraqi security forces, Rumsfeld, who is on an inspection tour in Iraq, said on Thursday.

He said the top US generals in Iraq don't want more than the 140,000 American troops already on duty in the country. But they do want more Iraqis working as police, soldiers, security guards and border patrols.

Iraqi enlisted soldiers and junior officers from lieutenant colonel down could be eligible to join the new Iraqi army, Rumsfeld said, adding that all will be carefully screened to weed out those with anti-American leanings.

more

[Gin]

1. we pay them a monthly stipend for doing nothing...put them back to

work...these guys in the mis-administration have no common sense.

[bemildred]

2. It will be interesting to see whether the Shiites

decide that its time to get more involved now. It sounds
on its face like it would have been a good idea four months
ago; now I suspect it will just get the party going for real.