We’ll Stand Down
Bush has said: “Our strategy can be summed up this way: as the Iraqi’s stand up, we will stand down.”
An independent commission headed by General James Jones, former top commander of U.S. forces in Europe, reports Iraqi forces are not ready to stand on their own. It finds the national police are operationally ineffective and should be disbanded and reorganized. The Interior Ministry, vital for support of the police, is dysfunctional and sectarian and the border security forces are generally ineffective and riddled with corruption.
The study offer praise for the Iraqi army, saying it’s gaining size and strength, with soldiers willing to fight against enemies of the state. However, it adds they will not be ready to fulfill their security role within the next 12 to 18 months without significant coalition support.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insists: “The facts are self- evident that the progress is not being made. Now, they might want to find one or two places where there’s some progress and cherry-pick in that way.”
The White House wants people to look at the western part of Iraq, Al Anbar province. This is hard-core Sunni territory, who had supported Saddam Hussein. Every assessment said Al Anbar would be the hardest part of this country to pacify, but our military have switched tactics. They’re focusing on trying to make tribal leaders accept a national government dominated by Shiites. Our military is suggesting to the Sunni's that they work together to drive al Qaeda, who are causing problems, out of Iraq. The Shiites are unhappy with the buildup of the Sunnis and they’re fighting among themselves for control of given areas.
The big question comes down to whether Iraqi forces can protect any of these gains if the coalition troops pull out? By virtually every assessment right now, they can’t. Bush insists that is the reason our troops can’t leave, but Democrats insist that is the reason we have to leave. After all these years, the Iraqis are still not ready to stand up in order to allow our forces to stand down.
An independent commission headed by General James Jones, former top commander of U.S. forces in Europe, reports Iraqi forces are not ready to stand on their own. It finds the national police are operationally ineffective and should be disbanded and reorganized. The Interior Ministry, vital for support of the police, is dysfunctional and sectarian and the border security forces are generally ineffective and riddled with corruption.
The study offer praise for the Iraqi army, saying it’s gaining size and strength, with soldiers willing to fight against enemies of the state. However, it adds they will not be ready to fulfill their security role within the next 12 to 18 months without significant coalition support.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insists: “The facts are self- evident that the progress is not being made. Now, they might want to find one or two places where there’s some progress and cherry-pick in that way.”
The White House wants people to look at the western part of Iraq, Al Anbar province. This is hard-core Sunni territory, who had supported Saddam Hussein. Every assessment said Al Anbar would be the hardest part of this country to pacify, but our military have switched tactics. They’re focusing on trying to make tribal leaders accept a national government dominated by Shiites. Our military is suggesting to the Sunni's that they work together to drive al Qaeda, who are causing problems, out of Iraq. The Shiites are unhappy with the buildup of the Sunnis and they’re fighting among themselves for control of given areas.
The big question comes down to whether Iraqi forces can protect any of these gains if the coalition troops pull out? By virtually every assessment right now, they can’t. Bush insists that is the reason our troops can’t leave, but Democrats insist that is the reason we have to leave. After all these years, the Iraqis are still not ready to stand up in order to allow our forces to stand down.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home