According to this morning's Wash Post:
ABU GHRAIB, Iraq, Nov. 26 -- More aggressive U.S. military operations in Iraq over the past two months have generated a surge in detainees, nearly doubling the number held by U.S. forces to about 8,300, according to the U.S. general in charge of detention operations.
The story--which is sourced almost exclusively to Maj. General Geoffery "Gitmoize" Miller-- suggests the rise in arrests is a good thing. And maybe it is.
But remember, last year the Red Cross concluded that 80-90 percent of detainees were innocent. (A military report backed that up.) That percentage probably dropped a bunch over the last year since the U.S. released about half of all detainees.
Are loads of innocents being picking up again? It all comes down to intel. The U.S.'s has been bad since the beginning. Maybe tons of high-quality tips are suddenly flowing in. But it's unlikely, considering Iraqis' ever-falling support for the occupation, and insurgents' brutal intimidation campaign.
And if indeed large numbers of innocent Iraqis are being arrested, well, that's not a good thing. As one observer put it, a big-sweeps, "iron-fisted approach" tends to "alienate Iraqis." Oh, wait, that's not just an observer, it was General Ricardo Sanchez, quoted in a story last year: "TO MOLLIFY IRAQIS, U.S. PLANS TO EASE SCOPE OF ITS RAIDS."
