From: Ryan Gill (rmgill@mindspring.com)
Date: Wed Jun 29 2005 - 06:30:15 PDT
At 5:55 AM -0700 6/29/05, Chris Somers wrote:
> I just returned from Iraq not to long ago due to
>injuries recieved in combat. 1st of all let me start
>off by saying that in no way are we losing. The one
>thing I realized when I was over there is that it's a
>clear cut situation over there, but when you see it
>over here there tends to be more limitations as to
>what we see.
First, Thanks for going to the sand box. I'd shake my hand
if you were here or I were there.
> As I started off saying that in no way are we losing,
>but at the same time we're not allowing overselves to
>fully win the situation either. I say this due to the
>limitations we place on our combat operations, we need
>to allow our men in the field the resources to fight
>and win against a terroist enemy and then not be so
>eager to charge them for a crime. We must support the
>decisions that our soldiers make as for it's them that
>keep the U.S. Safe, I'm not saying that we should let
>our soldiers kill 'em all, but let them do their job
>without fear of being ivestigated and charged. We need
>to remember back to the Korea an Vietnan Era, we can't
>sign a treaty with terroist.
As a whole you can't, however, Castle Argghhh has a very
good post about this.
" The better model, I believe, is setting
conditions for withdrawal. Essentially the
Northern Ireland model. It's no coincidence or
accident that the Iraqis, Brits and the US are
talking to the insurgents. Unless we're willing
to kill 'em all (not likely, and Not a Good Idea,
anyway), they *have* to be brought into the
process - and in order to get them into the
process, you have to address at least *some* of
their concerns. Then you can drive wedges into
the insurgency, and start to bring some of 'em to
the table... and the hard core, well, they just
get more and more isolated. In the end, that is
an issue that the Iraqis will have to settle."
From a high level standpoint it makes sense. On
the ground, the impression I get from reading
blogs, talking to guys like you and then reading
news reports, is that the following things are
happening:
1. The insurgents are pissing off the Iraqi's.
2. US/British/Polish/Allied/Iraqi Soldiers have
moved from the just killem phase of competency
(hard not to do when you're in running gunfights
and the hajis can't shoot straight), to the,
acquisition of hard intel from the hajis or IAFs
and roll up a string of insurgents. Some things
dovetail perfectly like notes taken from an
insurgent from Morroco who took notes of where he
stayed and how he came through Syria. The action
in western Iraq seemed to come right after Mike
Yon posted some interesting details on a string
of homes raided in Mosul after a UAV caught some
insurgents still firing their mortar. The UAV
tracked them on their commute/carpool home and
the Coalition troops hit every house. One of the
things they found was such a diary.
3. The insurgents are loosing ground. The areas
they can freely operate with impunity is getting
smaller.
4. Iraqi's are getting on board (how many voted
when they were quite vocally threatened, more
than vote here when it's a cake walk).
There's more to be done. But it's looking good to me.
--
--
Ryan Gill rmgill@SPAMmindspring.com
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