Baghdad residents to receive ID badges in hopes of fighting insurgency

"The aim is to easily differentiate between true residents of Baghdad and strangers and militants who come from other provinces to carry out terrorist attacks," explained Brig Qassim al-Mousawi who serves as the spokesman for commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces. The identification badges are one of the most recent steps being taken by the U.S. military and Iraqi security forces to combat insurgents in the region, reported the IRIN on Monday.

The ID cards will have the Iraqi citizens’ full name and address. However, many residents are concerned that these cards will simply make them more easily identifiable targets for both Sunni and Shia extremists.

Equally concerned is Brig Fadhil Salman Abdul-Muhaimen, who served almost 30 years in the former Iraqi military. He voiced his skepticism stating "the Iraqi government and US army are skirting around the problem instead of getting to the bottom of it."

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