U.S. Attorney General Announces More Direct U.S. Involvement in Iraq Justice System

On July 4, 2005, during a brief visit to Baghdad, U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales announced the establishment of an Iraq anti-crime task force, signifying a change from earlier U.S. efforts to assist the Iraqi justice system. The plan will mean that FBI agents and other U.S. investigators will play a direct role in assisting the development of evidence of identification of suspects in attacks against U.S. forces, while the prosecutions will be left to the new Iraqi court system. The task force is loosely modeled on the anti-terrorism and anti-gang units common in the U.S. Until now, the Justice Department has tried to avoid direct involvement in criminal cases involving Iraqis and other foreign citizens...[more]