This seems a useless show-tactic:
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Followers of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr trickled in to police stations in Baghdad's Sadr City district to hand in weapons Monday under a deal seen as a key step toward ending weeks of fighting with U.S. and Iraqi forces in the Shiite militant stronghold.
Fighters are supposed to be compensated for the weapons they turn in, but Salman said those responsible for the payments hadn't turned up yet. So, receipts were issued instead.
The rates ranged from $5 for a hand grenade to $1,000 for a heavy-caliber machine gun, police said.
I have a couple of questions about this policy. First, what stops these folks from stealing weapons--from law-abiding citizens and elsewhere--and bringing them in for cash? Second, after being paid for these assorted weapons, what keeps them from going out and buying more? Ditto for such programs in the U.S. This is a feel-good show of "getting things done," with little chance of making inroads toward success.
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