Recently among the many erratic events surrounding the war with Iraq yet another discrepancy has to surface. The appearance of multiple disconnected brigades of troops who were not trained for the Iraq army by either U.S. or Iraqi military forces are seeming to come into existence as if out of the fog of war itself. Each of these battalions consists of people who are mostly from the same tribal or religious backgrounds and bond together to protect specific areas from insurgent attacks.

According to a Wall Street Journal article, some of these new forces go by names like the Defenders of Baghdad, the Special Police Commandos and the Defenders of Khadamiya, numbering nearly 15,000 in total. Organizers of such squads seem to be cabinet members within the Iraq government or sheik leaders, and many of these new formations receive government funding.

The real problem is that the official Iraq army (and U.S. forces for that matter) often do not recognize these new forces until they encounter them face-to-face, which creates either a great helping hand against terrorist attacks in the area or a difficult new security threat if involved in fights where they were not calculated to be a factor.

The future of these new forces is hard to tell. They might be able to lessen the load of U.S. forces already stationed in Iraq, meaning they could possibly leave earlier than planned if they prove to work efficiently with the Iraq army, and given that the number of insurgent attacks in the area drop. Most of the members of these newly formed groups are anxious to wield some citizen’s power.

However, a negative scenario could ensue if there is a loss of control in divided ethnic or religious districts of Iraq. These troops may react only specifically to the region or not help each other out due to the differences that seem to bond these new squads together. They also may not respect authority of the official army in a time of crisis if there is indeed a loss of control. The worst possible case involving these new troops would be if the newly structured government becomes divided by disputes over majority rule versus popular sect beliefs on how the government should act. Without a clear source of government, complete with laws, roles and citizen responsibility, there could be chaos or even at worst, a civil war.

Unless the official Iraq army accepts these new troops and cooperation is reached, these unanimous troops could stir confusion into the already complex battle Iraq. The intent of these forces is good, so with a bit of organization and training they could be helpful allies in the fight against insurgent uprisings and could help create the democratic state that Iraq so desperately needs.