Sunnis Targeted for Death, According to White House Report

The US-supported Iraqi government formulates "target lists" of Sunni Arabs, according to the benchmarks report released yesterday by the White House.

These lists are compiled by the so-called Office of the Commander in Chief, which reports directly to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, evidence that death squad and ethnic cleansing activities are known and approved at the highest level of the US-funded Baghdad regime. Previously the Pentagon has suggested that militia extremists were acting as rogue elements outside the chain of command.

Furthermore, the benchmarks report says that fabricated charges are used to purge Sunnis from the Iraqi security forces.

The findings shed light on the deeply-sectarian nature of the Shia-Kurdish state built with American funding, arms and training.

And it reinforces the argument that thousands of American "trainers" would be engaged in either a dirty war or sectarian cross-fire when US combat troops are withdrawn.

So far the only presidential candidate emphasizing this key issue is Gov. Bill Richardson. Leaders in both Houses continue to propose partial withdrawals which leave tens of thousands of American "trainers" behind.