In order to combat the large numbers of insurgents entering Iraq, “The CPA [Coalition Provisional Authority] created the Department of Border Enforcement [with Order 26, on August 24, 2003], which was given a large variety of functions, some of which, such as customs, later had to be transferred back into the more appropriate ministries. In spite of the house-cleaning that supposedly took place as a result of the formation of the Border Enforcement Department, a large number of its staff were connected to the insurgency, criminal rackets or local tribal strongmen–and frequently all three. The borders stayed porous, enforcement was weak, and the flow of foreign insurgents continued unabated.”
– Ali A. Allawi, The Occupation of Iraq, Page 184