4 June 2007
Three months into the “surge”, US and Iraqi troops only have control over 146 of 457 neighborhoods in Baghad, well short of the expected goal. Commanders say that Iraqi police and army units have performed badly at basic security tasks such as manning check points and conducting patrols. Why should our troops be constantly in harms way while Iraqis are not doing their share of making Baghdad secure? Day after day we are watching brave young Americans losing their lives or being horribly wounded in mounting numbers. Why didn’t commanders on the ground anticipate the possibility that the Iraqi army and police don’t want success in Baghdad. It seems to me that their loyalties are elsewhere.
The goal for a secure Baghdad by September was unrealistic and leads me to believe that it was a way to pacify the voters at home and allow the war funding bill to be pushed thru. Sectarian violence is up between the Shiites and Sunnis as dumped bodies are found daily and more and more Sunni families are leaving. The local commander of Iraqi national police run by the Shiite-run Interior Ministry, has been replaced three times since March. Videos placed by the Americans have shown bombs being laid by Iraqi police and using police vehicles to provide cover. My solution is to stop all war funding and get the hell out of Iraq…Joan Lough
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