In the desperate rush to drag Iraq back from civil war, sweeping powers were granted to its new security forces. Human rights workers, MPs and American officials now believe that they are all too often a law unto themselves: admired when they defeat terrorists but also feared for their widespread abuse of power.
In this vast and largely unaccountable security apparatus, with almost a million people in uniform, corruption is rife. One of the most common ploys is to arrest innocent people and then charge hundreds or even thousands of dollars for them to be released.
“The Iraqi security forces are out of control,” Abu Aliya said. “If you quarrel with a simple soldier, even one out of uniform, he will arrest you and your family. This is happening everywhere, all the time.”
Amel al-Qaadi, a member of the Iraqi Parliament's Integrity Committee, said that she had met a young male student who had been detained and had confessed to membership of a terrorist cell because his jailers threatened to rape him. “There were many others who told me they were actually raped at the headquarters of various security force units,” she said.