Amidst doubts, CIA hangs on to control of Iraqi intelligence service

[Rose Siding]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The CIA has so far refused to hand over control of Iraq's intelligence service to the newly elected Iraqi government in a turf war that exposes serious doubts the Bush administration has over the ability of Iraqi leaders to fight the insurgency and worries about the new government's close ties to Iran.

The director of Iraq's secret police, a general who took part in a failed coup attempt against Saddam Hussein, was handpicked and funded by the U.S. government, and he still reports directly to the CIA, Iraqi politicians and intelligence officials in Baghdad said last week. Immediately after the elections in January, several Iraqi officials said, U.S. forces stashed the sensitive national intelligence archives of the past year inside American headquarters in Baghdad in order to keep them off-limits to the new government.

Iraqi leaders complain that the arrangement violates their sovereignty, freezes them out of the war on insurgents and could lead to the formation of a rival, Iraqi-led spy agency. American officials counter that the new leaders' connections to Iran have forced them to take measures that protect Iraq's secrets from the neighboring Tehran regime.

The dispute also highlights the failure of the Bush administration to establish a Western-leaning, secular government in Baghdad following the 2003 invasion.........

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/11597494.htm

[Roland99]

1. We can't leave until Iraq can care for itself. Therefore...

if we delay in saying Iraq can take care of itself, more of an excuse to remain in Iraq and keep building up those military bases and making the military-industrial complex companies even richer.

[blogbear]

2. Not to mention the human costs!

[grytpype]

3. Another scoop for Knight-Ridder!

KR is the only news bureau worth reading when it comes to Iraq.

[struggle4progress]

4. kick

[NNN0LHI]

5. It feel great to be free n/t

[Geo55]

6. WTF ?????

"American officials counter that the new leaders' connections to Iran have forced them to take measures that protect Iraq's secrets from the neighboring Tehran regime."

What freakin' secrets.....oh, the one's about OUR actions in this shitstorm.

[grytpype]

7. Iraqification is a total failure.

The neocons think the new Iraqi government is too close to Iran to be trusted. Therefore, they can't be allowed to have any real power, and Iraqification will fail. But that was the only exit strategy the neocons had.

[Moderator]

8. kick to combine

[wookie294]

9. U.S. fears ceding intelligence agency to Iran-friendly Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The CIA has so far refused to hand over control of Iraq's intelligence service to the newly elected Iraqi government in a turf war that exposes serious doubts the Bush administration has over the ability of Iraqi leaders to fight the insurgency and worries about the new government's close ties to Iran.

The director of Iraq's secret police, a general who took part in a failed coup attempt against Saddam Hussein, was handpicked and funded by the U.S. government, and he still reports directly to the CIA, Iraqi politicians and intelligence officials in Baghdad said last week. Immediately after the elections in January, several Iraqi officials said, U.S. forces stashed the sensitive national intelligence archives of the past year inside U.S. headquarters in Baghdad in order to keep them off-limits to the new government.

Iraqi leaders complain that the arrangement violates their sovereignty, freezes them out of the war on insurgents and could lead to the formation of a rival, Iraqi-led spy agency. U.S. officials counter that the new leaders' connections to Iran have forced them to take measures that protect Iraq's secrets from the neighboring Tehran government.

The Iraqi intelligence service ``is not working for the Iraqi government -- it's working for the CIA,'' said Hadi al-Ameri, an Iraqi lawmaker and commander of the Badr Brigade, formerly the armed wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. SCIRI is the driving force behind the powerful Shiite coalition that swept the parliamentary elections.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/11600568.htm

[Nickster]

10. But we had no problem handing that info over to Chalabi???wtf?

[leesa]

11. My first thought exactly....I guess the Iraqi intelligence may not

be under our thumb like Chalabi is. Or are WE under HIS thumb?.