Posted by Damozel | Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, the news from Iraq is either or alternately encouraging or discouraging, depending on which bits you read. This one's upsetting:
A company of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their positions on Tuesday night in Sadr City, defying American soldiers who implored them to hold the line against Shiite militias.
The retreat left a crucial stretch of road on the front lines undefended for hours and led to a tense series of exchanges between American soldiers and about 50 Iraqi troops who were fleeing.
Capt. Logan Veath, a company commander in the 25th Infantry Division, pleaded with the Iraqi major who was leading his troops away from the Sadr City fight, urging him to return to the front.
The Iraqi major didn't care. He and his troops walked off. (NYT) Fortunately, an 'elite' Iraqi unit was rushed in to fill the void. (NYT)
Even so, "[t]his episode was a blow to the American effort to push the Iraqis into the lead in the struggle to wrest control of parts of Sadr City from the Mahdi Army militia and what Americans and Iraqis say are Iranian-backed groups." (NYT)
Major Sattar, who calmly explained that he was going to lead his 80 troops out of it, had apparently had enough.
"He reported that many of his soldiers had taken off their uniforms and deserted after other Iraqi Army commanders failed to send reinforcements during a gun battle with militias that he said had lasted several hours." ...
[O]ther Iraqi units had stood their ground through several long firefights, and Captain Veath was surprised that the major’s unit was leaving after holding off another militia attack.
“You went through a whole battle and are now removing yourself?” Captain Veath asked incredulously. “Are any of your men dead?”
Major Sattar acknowledged that his unit had several wounded but none killed. But he and other Iraqi soldiers insisted that they were poorly equipped to battle the militias. Iraqi forces, they said, were short of ammunition, had only a few armored vehicles and were up against militia fighters they said were equipped and trained by the Iranians...
The Iraqi commander returned to his convoy and Captain Veath followed, promising a Stryker escort if the Iraqi soldiers would only return to their positions.
Dozens of excited Iraqi soldiers began to join in the discussion. As tempers flared and voices rose, Sergeant Angulo ordered the company’s soldiers to stay close to Captain Veath. (NYT).
American soldiers are expressing understandable pessimism about the commitment of the Iraqis to operations in Sadr city. If I were writing a book on the relations between American and Iraqi troops, I would call it They're Just Not that into You.
“It bugs the hell out of me,” said Sgt. George Lewis, Captain Veath’s platoon sergeant in Company B, Third Platoon, First Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment. “We don’t see any progress being made at all. We hear these guys in firefights. We know if we are not up there helping these guys out we are making very little progress.” (NYT)
To be fair, some Iraqi soldiers are fighting hard. Unfortunately, those who are willing to do so are not always fighting competently.
American soldiers have been regularly coaching them on how to protect their patrol bases, conserve ammunition and evacuate their wounded.
One big problem is that the Iraqi troops have responded to militia gunfire with such intense fusillades that the soldiers have endangered civilians, American soldiers and even their own forces. The barrage of Iraqi Army fire has become such a regular occurrence that some American soldiers are worried that militia fighters have tried to insert themselves between nearby Iraqi units to induce the Iraqi soldiers to fire on one another. (NYT)
At The Moderate Voice, Sean Mullen writes:
How many more Americans will have to die before the folly of the Iraq war collapses in on itself?
Hundreds? Thousands? (Some 25 have died this month alone, a return to pre-Surge levels.)
Yes, I wonder too.
First Civilian Contractor on Trial for Allegedly Stabbing another Contractor
Bush Confirms Torture Policy (Part 2) to the Sound of Crickets Chirping
The Chinese and the West: Talking at Cross-Purposes?
Bush Aware of National Security Team's Discussions of Torture
Wow! That debate on ABC where Hillary showed up for American people was really what the people needed to see from the next President of the United States.
Obama all but imploded with empty rhetoric!
What was that he said there in the end where he would tell the Super Delegates it's time to support a New Democrat Party.
That's right if Obama is the nominee everything changes and the Democratic party is all new again and so many will leave in droves because we don't believe in Obama or his "NEW" Democratic party he wants to build.
Sorry to step on the Iraq thread. Am I banned from this site yet? Or getting close? ha ha ha ha ha
Posted by: danny | April 17, 2008 at 01:12 AM