Iraqi special forces backed and by some accounts commanded by US troops stormed the Iraqi Health Ministry and detained Deputy Minister Hakim Zamili, a Sadr loyalist. This is part of an overall crack down on those loyal to Muqtada Sadr, a cleric that is very anti-American.
This was the second raid in 6 months but the highest arrest of a public official. The danger of this arrest is that it may be removing someone supporting extremists and dissent within the Iraqi Civil War, but it also highlights the weakened claim that Iraq has on its own sovereignty.
The arrest did not come at the hands of Iraqi police but Iraqi forces under the command of US troops. That basically indicates that US troops can take down any member of the government anytime they like. That is a slippery slope that could significantly delay Americas departure from Iraq anytime soon. If Iraq is to be a puppet state, then the US should quit beating around the Bush and admit it. If not, then we need to be very careful not to weaken the government's control in the future.
The TSA and the Airline industry this week got into a big battle over airline safety. It would seem that a TSA inspector attempting to det...
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