'The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework.''By BUDDHIKA JAYAMAHA, WESLEY D. SMITH, JEREMY ROEBUCK, OMAR MORA, EDWARD SANDMEIER, YANCE T. GRAY and JEREMY A. MURPHY');
(From the New York Times .. link at the end to the second page)
VIEWED from Iraq at the tail end of a 15-month deployment, the political debate in Washington is indeed surreal. Counterinsurgency is, by definition, a competition between insurgents and counterinsurgents for the control and support of a population. To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched. As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day. (Obviously, these are our personal views and should not be seen as official within our chain of command.)
The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework. Yes, we are militarily superior, but our successes are offset by failures elsewhere. What soldiers call the “battle space” remains the same, with changes only at the margins. It is crowded with actors who do not fit neatly into boxes: Sunni extremists, Al Qaeda terrorists, Shiite militiamen, criminals and armed tribes. This situation is made more complex by the questionable loyalties and Janus-faced role of the Iraqi police and Iraqi Army, which have been trained and armed at United States taxpayers’ expense.
A few nights ago, for example, we witnessed the death of one American soldier and the critical wounding of two others when a lethal armor-piercing explosive was detonated between an Iraqi Army checkpoint and a police one. Local Iraqis readily testified to American investigators that Iraqi police and Army officers escorted the triggermen and helped plant the bomb. These civilians highlighted their own predicament: had they informed the Americans of the bomb before the incident, the Iraqi Army, the police or the local Shiite militia would have killed their families.
As many grunts will tell you, this is a near-routine event. Reports that a majority of Iraqi Army commanders are now reliable partners can be considered only misleading rhetoric. The truth is that battalion commanders, even if well meaning, have little to no influence over the thousands of obstinate men under them, in an incoherent chain of command, who are really loyal only to their militias.
Similarly, Sunnis, who have been underrepresented in the new Iraqi armed forces, now find themselves forming militias, sometimes with our tacit support. Sunnis recognize that the best guarantee they may have against Shiite militias and the Shiite-dominated government is to form their own armed bands. We arm them to aid in our fight against Al Qaeda.
However, while creating proxies is essential in winning a counterinsurgency, it requires that the proxies are loyal to the center that we claim to support. Armed Sunni tribes have indeed become effective surrogates, but the enduring question is where their loyalties would lie in our absence. The Iraqi government finds itself working at cross purposes with us on this issue because it is justifiably fearful that Sunni militias will turn on it should the Americans leave.
In short, we operate in a bewildering context of determined enemies and questionable allies, one where the balance of forces on the ground remains entirely unclear. (In the course of writing this article, this fact became all too clear: one of us, Staff Sergeant Murphy, an Army Ranger and reconnaissance team leader, was shot in the head during a “time-sensitive target acquisition mission” on Aug. 12; he is expected to survive and is being flown to a military hospital in the United States.) While we have the will and the resources to fight in this context, we are effectively hamstrung because realities on the ground require measures we will always refuse — namely, the widespread use of lethal and brutal force.
1
2 Next Page »
Buddhika Jayamaha is an Army specialist. Wesley D. Smith is a sergeant. Jeremy Roebuck is a sergeant. Omar Mora is a sergeant. Edward Sandmeier is a sergeant. Yance T. Gray is a staff sergeant. Jeremy A. Murphy is a staff sergeant.
********************************************************
Here's the last 25 messages on the Impeach Cheney matter
No Excuses : Email any rep in the country. Go ahead. They have to answer you; it's what you pay them for. Compel them to uphold their oath to protect the Constitution of the United States of America.
The lie was dead
And damned, and truth stood up instead.
Robert Browning
ANOTHER BUSH LIE
TEXT IMPEACH TO 30644 TEXT IMPEACH TO 30644
Also TEXT the word "TODAY" to 30644 to become part of the John Edwards campaign. Do it. He actually had rainbow bumper stickers. Kinda thoughtful.
I've saved some sunlight
if you should ever need
a place away from darkness
where your mind can feed.
from Rod McKuen's "I've Saved The Summer"
Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power.
We have guided missiles and misguided men.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
Make today COUNT.
Go to to find the phone numbers of your Senators and Representative.
Bill Nelson 202 224 5274
Kathy Castor 202 225 3376 (UPDATED NUMBER)
Mel Martinez 202224 3041
Send a letter to the St.Pete Times
I don't care what you talk about but keep sending letters until they publish one. They're very selective with WHOM they publish because I see the same names over and over. Don't let a few people speak for ALL of us.
And call your congressman and talk to her of Inherent Contempt. Do it. And hug everyone you can reach.
North Jersey JUST DOIN it.
Headlights to Impeach
Turn them ON. PlEaSe ! Help a country out here. Also, click the link to sign the petition. Takes three seconds.
Live Vote for Impeachment
Vote in the National Cheney Impeachment Poll
Click Here
Bush Business (two states moving to convene grand juries)
Email your Congressman
Court of Impeachment and War Crimes
Brought to you LIVE from THE TAMPA NAIL HOUSE ... : Proud members of the drive-by media (just like Thomas Paine, father of America)
... located in the midtown desired redevelopment center just one block from the river.
The City of Tampa and it's assorted city-sanctioned gang members need this property because it's in the middle of land they intend to develop for gambling facilities.
LaS VEgas here in Tampa : Ta-Vegas or Tam-Gas.
But it's going to cost YOU a helluva lot of money as they defend their criminal acts in federal court due to what they are doing to my family and I in
the process of attempting to steal our home.
Terrorist,"Cause" and Gang Stalking Perpetrated by Tampa Firemen and other Firemen -- revealed and written about.
Some more threats from Tampa firemen (we'll just drive by your burning house if we know who you are) no kidding? I would NEVER have guessed that !
Stop Organized Stalking
More mention of Firefighter and Police participation in gang-stalking
Technorati Tags global warming
Technorati Tags: magical sheep, Truckspy rawks, shaggy sheep, SUVs
********************************************************
![[PDA - Progressive Democrats of America - Stand Up. Take Action. Vote.]](http://pdamerica.org/images/ads/pdalink-150x200.gif)
