Reply #7: Leaks plague battle against Iraqi insurgents

[Barrett808]

Leaks plague battle against Iraqi insurgents
12 May 2005 06:49:23 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Ian Simpson

BAQUBA, Iraq, May 12 (Reuters) - In a war where intelligence is as important as guns, leaks of information from Iraqi soldiers are undermining the battle against insurgents, senior U.S. and Iraqi officers say.

Officers told Reuters it was almost impossible to keep secrets among soldiers who have members of their family or tribe on the other side. The result is operations that turn up mounds of weapons and explosives but few suspects, because tipped-off rebels flee before raids even begin.

"We still don't have secure operations. When we go on a mission, this gets leaked out to the people," said Colonel Thaier Dhia Ismail Abid al-Tamimi, who heads an Iraqi battalion in Diyala province.

Even meetings among his fellow battalion commanders cannot stay secret in his area near the city of Muqdadiya, about 110 km (70 miles) northeast of Baghdad, said Tamimi, whose unit has been praised by U.S. officers for its professionalism.

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAR222206.htm