Wrong Obama Decision Could Cause A Mutiny!

Al-Maliki is publicly making these charges because he believes Obama will probably come out and say, "Oh we're so sorry. We are a morally corrupt nation of horrible people. Yes, we need to prosecute our soldiers who are guilty of this crime." (not far fetched based on his recent world tour)

It's very telling to notice Al-Maliki's careful choice of words. He didn't accuse our troops of a 'war crime', no he just said 'crime'. If he had said 'war crime', then charges would have to be made in the World Court. No, he conciously just used the word 'crime' so that he could then demand that the American Military hand over our soldiers to stand trial in Iraqi courts.

The first thing Obama should do is tell Al-Maliki that the U.S. will NEVER turn our soldiers over to Iraq, the UN, or any other entity. This is a war we're involved in and if our troops failed to execute their orders properly, then the U.S. Military will investigate and administer justice if necessary.

If the troops were just following orders, but the orders were subsequently determined to be "unlawful" orders, then you have to move back up the military chain of command to determine who's responsible. Guess who is ultimately responsible? Yes, Obama. The Commander in Chief. The job that he so wishes wasn't his.

Obama started us down this slippery slope by contending that situations like these are nothing more than mere criminal activity. It started with the Somali pirate being brought to America to be brought up on criminal charges in the U.S. court system.

Obama has shown nothing but contempt for our Military and Intelligence Services. If Obama aquieses and hands over our soldiers for trial by the Iraqi Government, we might as well immediately pull-out every one of our soldiers.

If Obama releases these soldiers to Iraqi custody, the military will turn on him, in addition to at least half of all Americans.
Rees

By BRIAN MURPHY
Associated Press Writer
Sun Apr 26, 8:30 pm ET

BAGHDAD – Iraq's prime minister denounced a deadly U.S. raid on Sunday as a "crime" that violated the security pact with Washington and demanded American commanders hand over those responsible to face possible trial in Iraqi courts.

The U.S. military, however, strongly denied that it overstepped its bounds and said it notified Iraqi authorities in advance — in accordance with the rules that took effect this year governing U.S. battlefield conduct.

The pre-dawn raid in the southern Shiite city of Kut ended with at least one woman dead after being caught in gunfire and six suspects arrested for alleged links to Shiite militia factions.

But efforts were quickly launched in an attempt to tone down the dispute.

The six detainees were released, said Major Gen. Read Shakir Jawdat, head of the provincial police that includes Kut. At the same news conference, U.S. Col. Richard Francey offered condolences to the family of the woman killed.

The fallout marks the most serious test of the security pact so far and could bring new strains during a critical transition period.

U.S. forces plan to move out of most major Iraqi cities by the end of June in the first phase of a promised withdrawal from the country by the end of 2011.

A statement from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — in his role as commander general of Iraqi forces — called the raid a "violation of the security pact."

He asked the U.S. military "to release the detainees and hand over those responsible for this crime to the courts," according to an Iraqi security official who read the statement to The Associated Press.

In Kut, the cascade of protests and questions began just hours after the sweep into Kut, which the U.S. military said targeted suspected backers of Shiite militias believed to have links to Iran.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the mosque in Kut, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, to decry the American action and demand an investigation.

The provincial council then called an emergency meeting and a three-day mourning period. The Iraqi Defense Ministry also ordered the arrest of two high-ranking Iraqi officers for their alleged roles in allowing U.S. forces to operate in Kut.

"We condemn this crime," said Mahmoud al-Etaibi, head of the council.

Iraq's military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, described it as the "first violation after signing the security pact."

The U.S. military said its troops acted within the framework of the security pact, saying "the operation was fully coordinated and approved by the Iraqi government."

The accord, which took effect Jan. 1, requires American commanders to coordinate raids and other pre-planned strikes with the Iraqi government and military, or work in joint U.S.-Iraq units.

At least one person died in the raid, which the U.S. military said targeted the financier of Shiite militia factions believed to be backed by the Iranians. Iraqi officials placed the death toll at two.

The Defense Ministry spokesman, Mohammed al-Askari, said an Iraqi brigade commander and a battalion commander were arrested for "allowing American troops to conduct a military operation in Kut province without informing the Iraqi government or coordinating with it."

Kut provincial police chief, Brig. Gen. Raed Shakir Jawdat, said he was unaware a raid was conducted. The U.S. military did not provide information on whether Iraqi security forces took part.

The military said a woman was in the area during an exchange of gunfire with one of the suspects and "stepped into the line of fire."

It said those detained were suspected of aiding so-called "special groups" — Shiite militia factions that were once part of the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr — and another faction known as the Promise Day Brigades created by al-Sadr.

Washington says the special groups are backed by Iran. Tehran denies the charges.

Iraqi police officials say the wife and brother of a local clan leader were killed. They also say the soldiers arrested the clan leader, Ahmed Abdul Muneim al-Bdeir, his brother — an Iraqi police captain — and five others related to the al-Bdeir.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to release the information.
Associated Press Writer Chelsea J. Carter and Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report.
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