Day after day scores of bodies litter the streets of Baghdad. To staunch the violence, the US has poured billions into standing up Iraq’s security forces. FRONTLINE takes a hard look at how the four-year training effort has fared and how these forces have themselves been infiltrated by various sectarian militias. It remains to be seen if America can build a truly national Iraqi army and police in the midst of a civil war.
“Gangs of Iraq pulls back the veil on what viewers might already have gleaned from the nightly news: the coalition effort to train Iraqi forces to stand up for themselves has been largely disastrous, thanks to infiltration by sectarian militias.”
– Alex Strachan, CanWest News Service
“Gangs of Iraq, the third installment in the ”America at a Crossroads” series on PBS and airing tonight, is valuable because it shows viewers something of what American forces really face in trying to train an Iraqi army and police force. … It is to the credit of this program that viewers will better understand [officials’] anxiety [about Iraq’s security], and the difficulties facing the United States in Iraq.”
– Sreenath Sreenivasan, The New York Times
” … in harrowing detail reveals, among other things, that the administration’s goal of handing over the reins of war and peacekeeping to Iraqi soldiers and police officers is elusive at best.”
– Alessandra Stanley, The New York Times
“… on flighty matters like international terrorism … PBS’ long-running ‘Frontline’ series remains the gold standard … ”
– Eric Mink, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“… portray[s] the seldom-seen life of everyday Iraqis … ”
– Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle
