Saturday, May 28, 2005
Iraqi-ization...Shades of Vietnamization
The ‘Iraqi-ization’ of the war there is not going so well.
I suppose this is an understatement of monumental proportions, but again we have examples this week of how poorly it goes. A massive attempt to lock down Baghdad is the latest technique that will be employed to quell the raging guerrilla battle there. This effort will be spearheaded by the Iraqi forces, who are often called the “dogs of the Americans” by ordinary Iraqis, not just by the opposition.
Dahr Jamail, an Arab-American journalist, writes yesterday about the Iraqi Defense force, quoting first a doctor he’s friendly with in Baghdad:
“…they (the defense forces) now practice a kind of state
sponsored terrorism.”
He went on to give an example of their not-so-straight behavior…
“Eyewitnesses in Al-Saydia area to the south of Baghdad told me that recently when a car bomb detonated and destroyed the area nearby, people were astonished to see the so-called police looting a destroyed mobile phone store that was nearby! The police now are a bunch of thieves. Many of then are already criminals who were released from Abu Ghraib prison before the war.”
Jamail goes on to note:
“When I was in Baghdad in January, I was shot at by Iraqi Police on two different occasions simply because our car drove too close to them.”
These are the guys who are supposed to get our troops out by taking over and winning the respect of the people? We’re in serious trouble.
I suppose this is an understatement of monumental proportions, but again we have examples this week of how poorly it goes. A massive attempt to lock down Baghdad is the latest technique that will be employed to quell the raging guerrilla battle there. This effort will be spearheaded by the Iraqi forces, who are often called the “dogs of the Americans” by ordinary Iraqis, not just by the opposition.
Dahr Jamail, an Arab-American journalist, writes yesterday about the Iraqi Defense force, quoting first a doctor he’s friendly with in Baghdad:
“…they (the defense forces) now practice a kind of state
sponsored terrorism.”
He went on to give an example of their not-so-straight behavior…
“Eyewitnesses in Al-Saydia area to the south of Baghdad told me that recently when a car bomb detonated and destroyed the area nearby, people were astonished to see the so-called police looting a destroyed mobile phone store that was nearby! The police now are a bunch of thieves. Many of then are already criminals who were released from Abu Ghraib prison before the war.”
Jamail goes on to note:
“When I was in Baghdad in January, I was shot at by Iraqi Police on two different occasions simply because our car drove too close to them.”
These are the guys who are supposed to get our troops out by taking over and winning the respect of the people? We’re in serious trouble.
