American forces have raided a prison run by the Ministry of Interior in central Baghdad that would seem to be operating independently of oversight from the Iraqi government:

U.S. and Iraqi forces raided a secret Iraqi detention bunker run by the Ministry of Interior in central Baghdad and freed 173 Sunni prisoners who had been tortured with electric shocks and drills, Iraqi and U.S. officials said yesterday.

The Ministry of Interior in the Shi’ite-led government has been repeatedly accused of allowing extrajudicial detentions and abuses, including operation of anti-Sunni hit squads.

A Baghdad police official said officers from the Shi’ite-led Badr Brigade, which answers to the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) political party, were manning the bunker when the U.S. and Iraqi forces arrived.

“The army searched the bunker and found many prisoners there,” said the police official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “They found prisoners who had been treated inhumanely, tortured with warm water, electricity and drills in their bodies.”

Herein lies the seeds of destruction for the new Iraqi state. Because of the nature of the insurgency and the inability of both American and Iraqi forces to protect the population, dozens of Shia militias have sprung up over the last few years. Some are small adjuncts of tribal and village councils and operate sometimes as death squads, targeting Sunni inhabitants who may or may not support the insurgency. Others like Muqtada al Sadr’s Mahdi Army engaged in operations against Americans until soundly defeated last year in Najaf and Sadr City. Al-Sadr has since laid down his arms and several of his followers have joined the new government.

But by far the largest and most problematic militia has been the Badr Brigade (renamed the Badr Organization of Reconstruction and Development ) which controls large areas in southern Iraq and is closely associated with the largest political party, the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). The militia dominates police and government offices in several southern provinces where they have attempted with varying degrees of success to establish a strict Islamic code of law.

There are several worrying aspects to the Badr Organization not the least of which is their close ties to the Revolutionary Guards organization in Iran who have armed them and funded their activities. It was an offshoot of the Badr organization with close ties to the Interior Ministry known as the Wolf Brigade that may be responsible for running this extra-legal prison:

What is the Wolf Brigade?

The most feared and effective commando unit in Iraq, experts say. Formed last October by a former three-star Shiite general and SCIRI member who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Walid, the Wolf Brigade is composed of roughly 2,000 fighters, mostly young, poor Shiites from Sadr City. Members of the group reportedly earn as much as 700,000 Iraqi dinars, or $400, per month, a large sum in Iraqi terms. They dress in garb—olive uniform and red beret—redolent of Saddam Hussein’s elite guard; their logo is a menacing-looking wolf.

How did the Wolf Brigade earn its reputation?

Last December, the Wolf Brigade—backed up by the Iraqi army and U.S. military—achieved notoriety after launching a series of counterinsurgency operations in Mosul, a Sunni stronghold northwest of Baghdad. Their popularity was further buoyed by the success of Terrorism in the Grip of Justice, a primetime show on U.S.-funded Al Iraqiya television that features live interrogations of Iraqi insurgents by commandos. In one recent show, Abu Walid questioned around 30 shabbily dressed suspects, some clutching photos of their victims, waiting to confess their crimes.

American forces have actually used the Wolf Brigade and commando units from other militias in counter-insurgency operations with much success. These are highly motivated, well trained and well led units who have proven themselves in fighting in Mosul and other rebel strongholds.

The problem is who controls them? The Minister of the Interior is one Bayan Jabr, a former Badr Militia commander who fled to Iran when Saddam cracked down on Shi’ite political groups and ended up in Syria running the SCIRI office prior to Hussein’s overthrow. If Jabr controls the Wolf Brigade (that has been accused by Amnesty International of murder and torture) to what degree is the Interior Minister trying to carve out a separate sphere of influence for the Iranian-influenced Badr Organization? And how much control does Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari have over one of the most important ministries in his government?

In the elections next month, it’s clear that the SCIRI will once again dominate. Will the leaders of the party who say they speak for Iraq – especially the Grand Ayatollah Sistani – try to rein in and control the elements of the party apparatus that are currently operating outside of the control of the Prime Minister?

The new government of Iraq is moving toward the most dangerous period so far in its existence. And we Americans can do little except sit on the sidelines and hope for the best.