By: E&P Staff Senior Iraqi officials confirmed for the first time Sunday that death squads composed of government employees had operated illegally from inside two government ministries, according to a Knight Ridder report from Baghdad.
"The deaths squads that we have captured are in the defense and interior ministries," Minister of Interior Bayan Jabr said during a joint news conference with the Minister of Defense. "There are people who have infiltrated the army and the interior."
Interior Minister Jabr said that investigations into death squads were still ongoing in the Defense Ministry, Matthew Schofiedl wrote for Knight Ridder. "Although Jabr appeared to confirm the existence of death squads, the scale of the operation uncovered would appear to be far smaller than critics had alleged.," Schofield wrote.
"Sunni Muslims have long complained about Shiite death squads that arrived wearing official uniforms and rode in official-looking vehicles to haul away victims. "
Knight Ridder first reported the accusation of death squads in February last year, and in June documented many cases in which victims were taken away allegedly by men wearing Interior Ministry commando uniforms were later found handcuffed and executed with a bullet to the back of the head.
The government has long denied the existence of such death squads.
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