Comments on: Bring the boys back home http://sevenels.net/blog/?p=42 Letting the air out Thu, 17 May 2012 22:51:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Oliver http://sevenels.net/blog/?p=42&cpage=1#comment-7 Oliver Fri, 17 Sep 2004 13:25:00 +0000 http://sevenels.net/blog/?p=42#comment-7 Right, we can't just pull out all at once--as much as I wish we could. But we need to begin the process. "Officially control has been handed over to the Iraqi forces. We only support them." Officially. The reason I say that we "rule the streets" is that our agreement with the Iraqi government gives our military forces full autonomy. The Iraqis can't tell us what to do or not do. And quite frankly, with the exception of lines of young men being car-bombed outside police stations as they wait to apply for jobs, I see only US military being attacked and doing the attacking. Yes, there is a "<a HREF="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Fwww.areporter.com%2Fsys-tmpl%2Fthecoalitionofthewilling%2F" rel="nofollow">coalition of the willing</A>" which includes 45,000 troops from the UK, and 2,000 from Australia, but <a HREF="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Ficasualties.org%2Foif%2F" rel="nofollow">very rarely are non-US troops targeted</A>. I really think that the majority of the violence in Iraq right now is directed at us, and without our presence the crossfire that civilians are being caught in will greatly diminish. Right, we can’t just pull out all at once–as much as I wish we could. But we need to begin the process.

“Officially control has been handed over to the Iraqi forces. We only support them.”

Officially. The reason I say that we “rule the streets” is that our agreement with the Iraqi government gives our military forces full autonomy. The Iraqis can’t tell us what to do or not do. And quite frankly, with the exception of lines of young men being car-bombed outside police stations as they wait to apply for jobs, I see only US military being attacked and doing the attacking. Yes, there is a “coalition of the willing” which includes 45,000 troops from the UK, and 2,000 from Australia, but very rarely are non-US troops targeted.

I really think that the majority of the violence in Iraq right now is directed at us, and without our presence the crossfire that civilians are being caught in will greatly diminish.

]]> By: Hekate http://sevenels.net/blog/?p=42&cpage=1#comment-6 Hekate Fri, 17 Sep 2004 12:46:00 +0000 http://sevenels.net/blog/?p=42#comment-6 About the security in Iraq: I get emails from a man who is in Iraq as a medic. As part of a longer story, he told me this: "Coalition forces include all the armed forces from all the countries helping us here. You know that. But then there are the ligitimate Iraqi forces. They are -in order of power from the lowest to the highest- the IP = Iraqi Police. These are young men who volunteer to serve as cops. The ICDC = Iraqi Civil Defense Corp = These include prior Iraqi soldier who surrendered and have 'changed' their evil ways and have now become 'new' men with their contry's best interest at heart. Then there is the ING = Iraqi National Guard. The officially (U.S & Coalition ) trained Iraqi Army. Officially control has been handed over to the Iraqi forces. We only support them. I won't get into the reality of how many times a day we are attacked but I'd say that ICDC have been observed planting road side bombs to kill us when we drive by." I'm not sure how this fits in with everything, but it does make me wonder how secure it would be if we left. Obviously we can't just decide to go home tomorow, it will take time, but the way it is being done is causing more problems and death that it needs to. About the security in Iraq: I get emails from a man who is in Iraq as a medic. As part of a longer story, he told me this:
“Coalition forces include all the armed forces from all the countries helping us here. You know that. But then there are the ligitimate Iraqi forces. They are -in order of power from the lowest to the highest- the IP = Iraqi Police. These are young men who volunteer to serve as cops. The ICDC = Iraqi Civil Defense Corp = These include prior Iraqi soldier who surrendered and have ‘changed’ their evil ways and have now become ‘new’ men with their contry’s best interest at heart. Then there is the ING = Iraqi National Guard. The officially (U.S & Coalition ) trained Iraqi Army. Officially control has been handed over to the Iraqi forces. We only support them. I won’t get into the reality of how many times a day we are attacked but I’d say that ICDC have been observed planting road side bombs to kill us when we drive by.”
I’m not sure how this fits in with everything, but it does make me wonder how secure it would be if we left. Obviously we can’t just decide to go home tomorow, it will take time, but the way it is being done is causing more problems and death that it needs to.

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