U.S. - Iraq Security Agreement -- The Consequences

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U.S. Army soldiers and Iraqi soldiers hurry as they load onto UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters upon the completion of Operation Eagle North Point, a combined air assault in Abu Osage, Iraq, Oct. 8, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to the 3rd Battalion, Company A, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Air Assault. U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Christopher McKenna

Troops Would Face Different Kind Of Court In Iraq -- Yahoo News/AP

BAGHDAD – All rise as three judges, cloaked in black robes with a white fringe, take their seats behind a wooden bench facing prosecutors, defense lawyers and the accused, standing unshackled in a metal cage.

It's a scene that some American soldiers and contractors may someday face under a draft new security agreement, which gives Iraqis first crack at prosecuting them for "premeditated and gross felonies" committed off base and off duty.

Americans charged with such offenses would face proceedings where there's no jury, rules of evidence are a work in progress and the judges often render verdicts and impose sentences in the same session.

Critics complain the system is overwhelmed by thousands of cases, inexperienced judges and corruption — much of it petty payoffs to clerks to make sure the defendants get a speedy court date.

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My Comment: It will be a different world for contractors and foreign troops in Iraq now. This is a realization that U.S. and foreign forces must now act as policemen instead of assault troops .... which is a good thing.