Elizabeth Palmer Reports Iraqis Are Calling For Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi To Retake The Helm

For kidnappers who know Iraq, there are thousands of places to hide their victims — whether they're the five contractors abducted Thursday in the south of Iraq or the 150 Iraqis snatched in broad daylight two days earlier in Baghdad. It's widely believed that militiamen loyal to the anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr, were responsible for the audacious mass kidnapping.

“The entire government is doing nothing,” said one Iraqi man. “We need a tough non-sectarian leader to disband the militias.” Iraqis everywhere are starting to say that former prime minister, Iyad Allawi, must come back.

“We need a strong forceful leader to end our troubles,” said one Iraqi woman. “We need a strong leader like Allawi who loves Iraq."

Allawi told CBS News the police force is so corrupted that ambushes and kidnappings are sure to increase. “We need to bring back law and order. And law and order needs to be brought back by using force,” he said. Allawi insists that means starting all over again — dismantling the police, arresting senior officers, and re-screening recruits. And soon, because the rot has already begun to spread.

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