“A 150,000-strong private security force, raised and trained by the US, is linked to the murderous death squads stalking Iraq, the country’s Interior Minister claimed yesterday.”

More from the Independent.

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A primer.

“Following that model, one Pentagon proposal would send Special Forces teams to advise, support and possibly train Iraqi squads, most likely hand-picked Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shiite militiamen, to target Sunni insurgents and their sympathizers, even across the border into Syria, according to military insiders familiar with the discussions. It remains unclear, however, whether this would be a policy of assassination or so-called “snatch” operations, in which the targets are sent to secret facilities for interrogation. The current thinking is that while U.S. Special Forces would lead operations in, say, Syria, activities inside Iraq itself would be carried out by Iraqi paramilitaries, officials tell NEWSWEEK.”

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Civil war:

In the 1970’s El Salvador was governed by a military dictatorship. The El Salvador economy has suffered from a previous war with Honduras and towards the end of the decade was destabilized by guerilla factions and civil unrest. This culminated in 1970’s with a goverment suppression of riots that left 7000 dead.

This dictatorship remained in power through rigged elections until 1979 when the US supported a military coup. Another right-wing military dictatorship was installed. The US involvement comes from a foriegn policy preventing any increase in leftist movements in Central and South America.

On March 24th, 1980 Archbishop Oscar Romero was assasinnated by the US installed government for being a popular figure and critic of the military dictatorship. Civil war erupts.

The rebels are known as FMLN - a left-wing group. The US offers a massive amount of monetary support to the El Salvador dictatorship to fight the rebels.

Among the tactics that the US is suspected of using is the creation of Slavadoran death sqauds. A unit of specially trained police to eliminate both rebel and civlian opposition. (US government still denies this. There is an incredible volume of evidence for rebutting official US statements. Including the recent use of the phrase ‘Salvador Option’ to describe training Iraqi paramilitary.)

FMLN took power in 1991 and a new constitution was enacted. The civil war left 75,000 people dead; 8,000 missing; 1,000,000 homeless or exiled.

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