From Holden:

Just when you think U.S. military strategy in Iraq could not be more fucked up than it is they set a new level for fuckedupedness.

A media report revelas [sp.] that American intelligence and military police officers in Iraq are routinely freeing dangerous criminals in return for a promise to spy on anti-occupation fighters.

[snip]

“The Americans are allowing the breakdown of Iraqi society because they are only interested in fighting the ‘insurgency’,” said a senior Iraqi police officer.

“We are dealing with an epidemic of kidnapping, extortion and violent crime, but even though we know the Americans monitor calls on mobiles and satellite phones, which are often used in ransom negotiations, they will not pass on any criminal intelligence to us. They only want to use the information against ‘insurgents’.”

An Iraqi government source further confirmed that criminal suspects were often released if they agreed to pass on information on “insurgents”, despite the dangers such an act poses on them.