Update 1: Brits Crack Down on Basra's Police - Forbes.com

Update 1: Brits Crack Down on Basra's Police - Forbes.com: "Associated Press
Update 1: Brits Crack Down on Basra's Police
By ROBERT H. REID , 01.24.2006, 06:17 PM

British troops launched a crackdown Tuesday on Basra's troubled police, arresting several officers in a force long believed infiltrated by extremist Shiite militiamen. Curbing militia power is considered crucial to building trust among Iraq's rival communities, but finding a way to do it has proven elusive.

Fourteen people were detained in the early morning raids, British officials said. Nine were released but five others - all policemen - were jailed for alleged roles in murder and other crimes 'connected to rival tribal and militia groups,' British spokesman Maj. Peter Cripps said."