BAGHDAD, April 12 (UPI) -- Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabr confirmed Wednesday death squads are operating in the country but said they are not associated with the government.
In an interview with the BBC, Jabr refuted Sunni Muslim claims that the uniformed groups were linked to his Shiite-dominated ministry.
"Terrorists or someone who supports the terrorists ... are using the clothes of the police or the military," he said. "Now you can go to the shop and buy (uniforms)."
He said problems also stem from the existence of non-governmental security agencies, such as the Facility Protection Service, an armed force of 150,000 that was set up during the U.S.-led administration in 2003 to guard government buildings.
Jabr called the FPS "out of order, not under our control."
The U.S. military estimates more than 1,300 civilians were victims of sectarian violence in March, which was sparked by the bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samara in February.
