Giving asylum to Iraqis working with coalition forces in Iraq

Denmark has completed the evacuation of some 200 Iraqis who it feared faced danger for their association with Danish troops in southern Iraq.

The Americans must reveal how many Iraqis they took out of Iraq to secret prisons. For the Americans they must be suspicious of any Iraqi they take to their land as they will need 24-hour surveillance about their movement.

For the case of Iraqis taken secretly by a military force, this can be just a minimum operation. Millions are now refugees. What is needed is a quick end to the turmoil in Iraq so that all Iraqis can return to their land without fear for their lives. The state of the Iraqi refugees is a good a barometer of how things are going in Iraq.

The other risk is that any Iraqi hoping to live in the West will offer himself as an agent for the foreign forces. This is bad as Iraqis will grow more suspicious of each other.

It also remains a matter of conscience. How can someone leave one’s country to live in another peacefully and prosperously as a compensation for services rendered to an occupier while their countrymen are daily subjected to the fear of attacks?

As the Iraqi society is generally based on the extended family, even those who leave will continue to be worried about their kin. This operation is partially effective, as it doesn’t mean a total peace of mind for the beneficiaries.

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