Friends like these:The predominantly Shiite government of Iraq, which we helped get elected, is protecting Shiite death squads who are slaughtering Sunnis:
Senior U.S. military officials have stepped up complaints that Iraq’s Shiite-led government is thwarting efforts to go after Shiite death squads blamed in the execution-style killings of Sunni Arabs in neighborhoods across this capital.
Although deadly Sunni Arab rebel attacks remain frequent in Baghdad, U.S. officials, including Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, say death squads affiliated with Shiite militias have become the main factors ratcheting up the capital’s death toll from sectarian killings.
Civilian deaths in Baghdad during July and August totaled more than 5,100, according to United Nations figures, and most were caused by the sectarian strife.
However, the 8,000 U.S. troops sent to Baghdad in recent weeks to restore order have been largely prevented from confronting those militias, many of which have ties to Iraqi government officials.
A little background: Saddam Hussein was a member of the Sunni minority, which subjugated the Shiite majority. When the U.S. held elections, the Shiites, who belong to the same Muslim sect that rules Iran, took over.
