Bad Apples All Over Iraq

On the heels of reports of yet another incident of troops killing civilians in Iraq, the new Prime Minister has spoken out:

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki lashed out at the American military on Thursday, denouncing what he characterized as habitual attacks by troops against Iraqi civilians [...]

In his comments, Mr. Maliki said violence against civilians had become a "daily phenomenon" by many troops in the American-led coalition who "do not respect the Iraqi people."

"They crush them with their vehicles and kill them just on suspicion," he said. "This is completely unacceptable." Attacks on civilians will play a role in future decisions on how long to ask American forces to remain in Iraq, the prime minister added.

This is not good. Maliki is feeding a perception that all the US troops in Iraq are completely out of control. In truth it's likely to be a very small subset responsible for this. However, the rules of engagement could give the appearance of randomness and cruelty when the soldiers are simply following the chain of command. Furthermore, the conditions in Iraq, where soldiers have no defined mission, are unsure of the enemy, sit around in oppressive heat with poor facilities, and aren't really cared for mentally or physically, leads to these kinds of incidents. This is not to excuse criminal behavior, but the policy is just as culpable. And if Maliki is spreading this information, you can only imagine what it's like in the rest of the Islamic world.

Meanwhile, while the US prides itself on accountability in these affairs, a dog handler from the Abu Ghraib prison avoided jail time yesterday and was instead sentenced to 90 days "hard labor." This isn't that far off from the guy in Zambia sentenced to 15 days of gardening for overstaying his visa. It certainly doesn't bolster the case that the US follows the rule of law and brings those repsonsible to justice.

Just like Abu Ghraib, the Haditha incident and others (like mistakenly shooting a pregnant woman on her way to the hospital) are incredibly damaging to the credibility of the US Armed Forces, which damages our nation as a whole. Until we come up with a policy that doesn't inescapably lead to these kinds of tragedies, we need to get out. Today.

[UPDATE] Let's not forget that they're not exactly happy with our methods in Afghanistan either. Is it time for a Truman Commission on the US military? Well, it's past time for the civilian leadership in the Pentagon to depart.

[UPDATE 2] Good God, I haven't read my LA Times yet today but this is sickening:

In addition to the Haditha case, in which Marines are alleged to have gunned down 24 civilians in a rage of revenge for a bombing that killed a Marine in November, seven Marines and a Navy corpsman could face murder, kidnapping and conspiracy charges as early as Friday in the April shooting death of an Iraqi man in yet another incident, a defense attorney said Thursday.

Military prosecutors plan to file the charges against the seven servicemen, who are being held in solitary confinement at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Marine Corps base, said Jeremiah Sullivan III, who represents one of the men.

The Iraqi man reportedly was dragged from his home west of Baghdad and shot. The Los Angeles Times and NBC News said troops may have planted an AK-47 and a shovel near the body to make it appear as if the man was an insurgent burying a roadside bomb. Neither suggested a possible motive.