Guard Unit Tied to Elite Iraqi Force (training/ops with Wolf Brigade)

[Rose Siding]

Members of a California Army National Guard company that was placed on restrictive duty in Iraq after being implicated in the latest detainee abuse scandal have trained and conducted joint operations with Iraqi police forces, including an elite unit accused of brutality.

The Wolf Brigade of the Iraqi police is famous in Iraq for staging daring raids in Mosul and Baghdad and for its commander, known as Maj. Gen. Abu Walid, who became a national celebrity after he hosted televised "confessions" of alleged insurgents captured by the group. Critics of the forces say they use torture to coerce confessions from suspected insurgents.

Military officials said Wednesday that they did not know whether the company's association with Iraqi special forces had anything to do with the allegations of detainee abuse.

The relationship between Fullerton-based Alpha Company and Iraq's special police forces came to light during a second day of revelations about the troubled 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, which includes about 680 soldiers. The guardsmen have been in Iraq since January...........

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-guard28jul28,0,3691865.story?coll=la-home-local