While this article does not exactly mention the “flawed detainee catch & release” policy, it does show that General Petraeus is aware of “FLAWS” in the war, in Iraq.
A contact of mine, who is a (retired) LT. COLONEL USMC, researched some items of interest for me, out of his own initiative mind you. What he has uncovered is that “there is no policy” in Iraq in regards to detainees, called the “detainee catch & release”, but that it is a term coined by ground troops as such, because it is what it is.
Below, see the excerpt from the research that my contact, this LT. COLONEL sent me. Read it and I guarantee that you will be shocked.
Excerpt:
[In Iraq, the US military command never had an effective detainee policy or apparatus that adequately protected our service men and woman. The effectiveness of the Iraq detainee policy is broadcast in the name given to it by the troops as the “catch and release” program. “We catch’em, then they release them; so we can catch’em again and they release them again.” When I review these Soldiers case, I become convince that their intent was not murder but actually an effort to save the lives of their fellow Soldiers.]
Below is one more excerpt:
[This was an extended deployment of 14 months. The company was taking casualties (KIAs) from snipers. With no effective way to neutralize these four Iraqi males caught with two sniper rifles (and other weapons and explosives), these Soldiers were forced into the self defense mode. By capturing these Iraqi snipers, they had effectively identified themselves as the snipers next targets. Insurgent snipers protect themselves with secrecy that no longer existed and these snipers had just met face-to-face additional priority targets. If something did not change, the best these soldiers were going to do was spend the remainder of their deployment feeling a set of cross hairs on the back of their necks. The worst scenario would be these soldiers being reported to their families as KIAs.]
[-end of excerpts]
So on that note, please see the following article:
General Petraeus Says Training of Afghan Security Forces is Being Overhauled
Robert Raffaele | Washington17 March 2010
The commander who oversees U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan says the training of Afghan security forces is being “overhauled.” General David Petraeus told U.S. lawmakers the changes are based on lessons learned in Iraq.
He also spoke about a move involving U.S. Special Operations forces in Afghanistan. Training procedures for Afghan police and security forces are being overhauled, said General Petraeus, to avoid some of the mistakes made in Iraq.
He said US trainers in Afghanistan must learn from what was a “flawed” strategy in Iraq. “You know, we should recruit, train, and then assign police. Not recruit, assign, and try to get them back to training. Again, that was a flawed approach and we have to take the time to do that..”
Petraeus said to members of the House Armed Services Committee pay raises and bonuses have helped improve results among Afghan recruits. But he said it’s too soon to tell if Afghan troops will be ready to assume control as U.S. forces leave. In another development, General Stanley McChrystal, the Commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, has brought most American special operations forces under his control for the first time.
Petraeus denied media reports linking the decision to concerns that special operation forces were not doing enough to limit civilian casualties. Petraeus said he ordered the move for other reasons. “The reason it was done was to help General McChrystal achieve greater unity of effort among all of his forces. And again, that’s why this applied to more than just Special Operations forces,” he said. Petraeus said various marine, air force, and army units already have been moved under McChrystal’s command, for the same reason. General McChrystal has made reducing civilian deaths a top priority in a bid to win the loyalty of Afghan civilians. In at least two incidents in February, NATO airstrikes missed their targets, killing nearly 40 civilians in southern Afghanistan. Immediately after one of the strikes, General McChrystal apologized on TV to the Afghan people. In recent months, NATO has limited air strikes and tightened rules of engagement on the battlefield.
Find this article at: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/asia/General-Petraeus-Says-Training-of-Afghan-Security-Forces-is-Being-Overhauled-88285687.html
