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U.S. troops make an unnerving find among friends
Friday, October 01, 2004
BY HELEN JUNG
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
BAGHDAD -- When U.S. soldiers found a large stash of guns, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades here recently, it wasn't the size of the cache that surprised them.
Rather, it was the location they found disturbing. The weapons were discovered at an Iraqi police station across the street from the American unit's own headquarters, Patrol Base Volunteer.
The soldiers, members of the Oregon Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry, wondered why police officers would need explosives and weapons typically associated with the insurgents who fight against U.S.-led forces.
The Guardsmen confiscated the stockpile, but days later the weaponry is still the subject of debate and speculation.
One thing is certain: The discovery has stirred feelings of unease among soldiers about whom they can rely on in a country where the line between friends and enemies is murky.
"You don't know who to trust," said Staff Sgt. James Way, 33, of Portland, Ore.
What to do with the confiscated weapons and explosives remains to be determined. Way and several other soldiers said they don't like the thought of returning the rocket-propelled grenades and mortars to the Iraqi police -- even though they are supposed to be allies in the battle with insurgents.
"If we give the cops (back) this stuff, it's going to be shot at us," Way said.
It's a lot of "stuff." The cache included more than 100 rocket-propelled grenades and three dozen launchers, nearly 100 mortar rounds, and hundreds of machine guns and rifles.
Though details are sketchy, military authorities have determined that Iraq's Ministry of Interior gave the weapons to the police station, which was supposed to distribute them to other police stations throughout Baghdad, said 1st Lt. Abe Gilman, 31, of Salem, Ore. Gilman said the Iraqi government's reason for reversing an earlier policy that had prohibited the dissemination of such explosives "is totally unknown."
Recent attacks have killed dozens of Iraqi police officers and hundreds of civilians.
It is the job of U.S. soldiers to back up the Iraqi interim government's authority, Gilman said. "It's their country, and if the prime minister decides he wants to issue (Iraqi police) weapons of this sort, then we will support them any way we can," he said.
But he concedes there are reasons to worry. The still-young Iraqi police force may not be experienced enough to withstand attacks from insurgents and prevent heavy weaponry from falling into the wrong hands. In some instances, Gilman noted, insurgents have been able to overrun Iraqi police stations and seize control.
The police might have had legitimate uses in mind for the weapons, soldiers say, but they still aren't likely to have enough training to use them safely. That, some fear, could cause even bigger problems.
"I'm all for the Iraqi people and Iraqi police arming themselves so they can do their job," said Spc. Gregory Wuelfing, 22, of Santa Paula, Calif. He and Spc. John Karrantza, 31, of Portland were the two guards who spotted the Iraqi police unloading the weapons and alerted the platoon on duty. "But overarming them and taking the chance of (their) becoming more of a hazard than a help? That concerns me."
"I'd like them to explain to somebody why they feel they have to have them," Karrantza said of the combat weapons. "I don't see any purpose in the police having RPGs and mortars. These are aerial weapons and indirect-fire weapons, and it's easy to have large amounts of civilian casualties if you're not doing it right."
Then there is the X factor that soldiers find most worrisome -- the possibility that the Iraqi police forces could have insurgents in their ranks.
Though few U.S. soldiers will say so publicly, there's a widespread sense that the police force in some of Iraq's most violent areas employs at least some corrupt officers.
"That's always a concern," Karrantza said.
He would not be much reassured by some of the U.S. Military Police who train recruits for the Iraqi police.
"In a foreign country, you don't know who the enemy is," said Maj. Howard Sardis of the 415th Military Police Detachment. Sardis, 50, of St. Louis, runs a police academy adjacent to Patrol Base Volunteer. He said letting Iraqi police have explosives "concerns me, because I don't know which one of them are insurgents."
Because they are recruiting Iraqis from all over, including hot spots such as Sadr City, it's possible that some of the new recruits were or are insurgents willing to attack U.S. and coalition forces, Sardis said.
"You don't know after you give them the Glock (pistol) and 50 rounds of ammunition (after graduation) if they're going to be turned against you."
U.S. troops make an unnerving find among friends
Friday, October 01, 2004
BY HELEN JUNG
NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
BAGHDAD -- When U.S. soldiers found a large stash of guns, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades here recently, it wasn't the size of the cache that surprised them.
Rather, it was the location they found disturbing. The weapons were discovered at an Iraqi police station across the street from the American unit's own headquarters, Patrol Base Volunteer.
The soldiers, members of the Oregon Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry, wondered why police officers would need explosives and weapons typically associated with the insurgents who fight against U.S.-led forces.
The Guardsmen confiscated the stockpile, but days later the weaponry is still the subject of debate and speculation.
One thing is certain: The discovery has stirred feelings of unease among soldiers about whom they can rely on in a country where the line between friends and enemies is murky.
"You don't know who to trust," said Staff Sgt. James Way, 33, of Portland, Ore.
What to do with the confiscated weapons and explosives remains to be determined. Way and several other soldiers said they don't like the thought of returning the rocket-propelled grenades and mortars to the Iraqi police -- even though they are supposed to be allies in the battle with insurgents.
"If we give the cops (back) this stuff, it's going to be shot at us," Way said.
It's a lot of "stuff." The cache included more than 100 rocket-propelled grenades and three dozen launchers, nearly 100 mortar rounds, and hundreds of machine guns and rifles.
Though details are sketchy, military authorities have determined that Iraq's Ministry of Interior gave the weapons to the police station, which was supposed to distribute them to other police stations throughout Baghdad, said 1st Lt. Abe Gilman, 31, of Salem, Ore. Gilman said the Iraqi government's reason for reversing an earlier policy that had prohibited the dissemination of such explosives "is totally unknown."
Recent attacks have killed dozens of Iraqi police officers and hundreds of civilians.
It is the job of U.S. soldiers to back up the Iraqi interim government's authority, Gilman said. "It's their country, and if the prime minister decides he wants to issue (Iraqi police) weapons of this sort, then we will support them any way we can," he said.
But he concedes there are reasons to worry. The still-young Iraqi police force may not be experienced enough to withstand attacks from insurgents and prevent heavy weaponry from falling into the wrong hands. In some instances, Gilman noted, insurgents have been able to overrun Iraqi police stations and seize control.
The police might have had legitimate uses in mind for the weapons, soldiers say, but they still aren't likely to have enough training to use them safely. That, some fear, could cause even bigger problems.
"I'm all for the Iraqi people and Iraqi police arming themselves so they can do their job," said Spc. Gregory Wuelfing, 22, of Santa Paula, Calif. He and Spc. John Karrantza, 31, of Portland were the two guards who spotted the Iraqi police unloading the weapons and alerted the platoon on duty. "But overarming them and taking the chance of (their) becoming more of a hazard than a help? That concerns me."
"I'd like them to explain to somebody why they feel they have to have them," Karrantza said of the combat weapons. "I don't see any purpose in the police having RPGs and mortars. These are aerial weapons and indirect-fire weapons, and it's easy to have large amounts of civilian casualties if you're not doing it right."
Then there is the X factor that soldiers find most worrisome -- the possibility that the Iraqi police forces could have insurgents in their ranks.
Though few U.S. soldiers will say so publicly, there's a widespread sense that the police force in some of Iraq's most violent areas employs at least some corrupt officers.
"That's always a concern," Karrantza said.
He would not be much reassured by some of the U.S. Military Police who train recruits for the Iraqi police.
"In a foreign country, you don't know who the enemy is," said Maj. Howard Sardis of the 415th Military Police Detachment. Sardis, 50, of St. Louis, runs a police academy adjacent to Patrol Base Volunteer. He said letting Iraqi police have explosives "concerns me, because I don't know which one of them are insurgents."
Because they are recruiting Iraqis from all over, including hot spots such as Sadr City, it's possible that some of the new recruits were or are insurgents willing to attack U.S. and coalition forces, Sardis said.
"You don't know after you give them the Glock (pistol) and 50 rounds of ammunition (after graduation) if they're going to be turned against you."