Saturday, January 07, 2006
Military RhetIraq: Police Force in Anbar Province
Who: Major General Steven Johnson, Commander 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force
Source: United Press International
Quotes: From article titled, "Anbar province slowly getting police force"
Civilian police are being "reintroduced" to Iraq's violent Anbar province, a small step toward stability after two years of upheaval, said a top American general Friday.
"A lot of them were part of the insurgency. And in many places throughout Al Anbar province the police were disbanded, and they were no longer in position of authority in the community," said Marine Maj. Gen. Steven Johnson, commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.
"After the war, or after the first part of Operation Iraqi Freedom ... there was a lot of corruption, a lot of police where ineffective, they were influenced by insurgents," he said.
"We have not had the security environment conducive to introducing police. Now, we are beginning to see where we have that environment, particularly in the western Euphrates River Valley, and the same process is going to be followed. The Iraqi assessment teams will go out, screen and vet people, make their selections, send people to school and then equipment -- equip them and re-introduce them into the towns," Johnson said.
"It is an effort to then replace policemen who formerly were not effective with those who've been trained and vetted and equipped properly to bring stability," he said.
"The reintroduction of a professional police force in Al Anbar will provide local leaders with security and stability that they need to take care of their own. These police will start to be introduced over the coming months in conjunction with the completion of their training," Johnson said.
Source: United Press International
Quotes: From article titled, "Anbar province slowly getting police force"
Civilian police are being "reintroduced" to Iraq's violent Anbar province, a small step toward stability after two years of upheaval, said a top American general Friday.
"A lot of them were part of the insurgency. And in many places throughout Al Anbar province the police were disbanded, and they were no longer in position of authority in the community," said Marine Maj. Gen. Steven Johnson, commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.
"After the war, or after the first part of Operation Iraqi Freedom ... there was a lot of corruption, a lot of police where ineffective, they were influenced by insurgents," he said.
"We have not had the security environment conducive to introducing police. Now, we are beginning to see where we have that environment, particularly in the western Euphrates River Valley, and the same process is going to be followed. The Iraqi assessment teams will go out, screen and vet people, make their selections, send people to school and then equipment -- equip them and re-introduce them into the towns," Johnson said.
"It is an effort to then replace policemen who formerly were not effective with those who've been trained and vetted and equipped properly to bring stability," he said.
"The reintroduction of a professional police force in Al Anbar will provide local leaders with security and stability that they need to take care of their own. These police will start to be introduced over the coming months in conjunction with the completion of their training," Johnson said.
