Informant38

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt declared that he would:

Sadr's decision to cooperate with the institutions of the government, and particularly with the sectarian Shi'i parties whose grasp of the levers of power remained overwhelming, coincided with a rising arc of sectarian violence in Iraq. Although the civil war would never overtake the insurgency war in its intensity, it was nevertheless real, and it utterly transformed Iraq's demographics. To a degree, sectarian warfare was part of the occupiers' strategy in Iraq, as Kurdish peshmerga were allowed to ethnically cleanse parts of northern Iraq and deployed to attack Sunni resistance fighters. At the same time, Shi'i death squads such as the Badr organization were dispatched to take out rivals of the occupation. The Badr frequently acted as part of the Special Police Commando death squads co-founded by former DEA specialist Steven Casteel (whose previous expertise included helping train government forces in Colombia), trained by Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, and led by a former Baathist general. By early 2006, more than 1,000 Iraqis were being tortured to death and executed every month by death squads integrated into the government, and it was later estimated by the UN special investigator that the scale of repression was far worse than under Saddam Hussein.

Richard Seymour/MRZine 06.Apr.08

Seymour, I think the same person as does Lenin's Tomb, has written a fine and impartial, deep, calm, and reasonable piece on Al-Sadr's past and present circumstances. Seeing as how Al-Sadr's the single most important person in Iraq right now and will be for a long while, and seeing as how the occupation of Iraq is the single most important thing about the US and will be for a long while, it behooves us to know what we can about him.
That Stephen Casteel is another story entirely. Casteel's one of those figures, like John Negroponte, that make it impossible for me to shed childhood stories of Satan and his minions seeking the damnation of all that's good in the world.
-

Evidences of this type of counterinsurgency operation can now be seen in Iraq.
Since June 2004, people suspected of being hostile to the regime and their supporters were being kidnapped and killed by police commandos from the notorious Wolf Brigade. It is the most notorious and best known death squad created, funded and directed by U.S. advisers. A majority of its officers and personnel served in Saddam Hussein’s Special Forces and Republican Guard—veterans of killings, torture and repression.
Foremost among the U.S. advisers are retired Colonel James Steele and former DEA officer Steven Casteel who are both veterans of the dirty war. Steele served in El Salvador. In El Salvador, Colonel Steele commanded the U.S. Military Advisor Group, training Salvadoran forces between 1984-86. Steven Casteel worked in Colombia with paramilitaries called Los Pepes that later joined forces to form the AUC in 1997. These were responsible for most of the violence against civilians in Colombia. Casteel was instrumental in forming Special Police Commandos, known as the Wolf Brigade, in his capacity as senior advisor to the Iraqi Interior Ministry.
Wolf Brigade operatives “came in white police Toyota Land Cruisers, wore police commando uniforms, flak vests and helmets” and were armed with 9mm Glock pistols.” Their links to the U.S. military are confirmed by their equipment. Glock pistols are standard issue for many U.S. law enforcement officers. The same type of sidearm was issued to Iraqi police by the U.S. military.

Bulatlat
-
Testimony of Steven W. Casteel, Assistant Administrator for Intelligence, Drug Enforcement Administration, Hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, May 13, 2003
-
Stephen Casteel at political friendster