Good News from Iraq
The Associated Press reports:
The U.S. military said Saturday it detained six men suspected of shooting down a civilian helicopter carrying 11 civilians north of Baghdad two days earlier. All 11 people on board — including six Americans — were killed, with the Bulgarian pilot gunned down by insurgents.
It is very heartening to see how quickly these criminals were apprehended. The arrests were made possible through information provided by Iraqi citizens, who are clearly becoming more and more willing to turn in the insurgents.
It also says a lot that these men did not come from some large base of operations but instead from two houses in Baghdad. If this is indicative of the current strength of the insurgency, it is clear that much improvement has been made. It may not really be an organized insurgency any more. Just a bunch of isolated, well-armed criminal elements more akin to anarchists than anything else. The Iraqis and US forces still have a significant challenge before them, but the situation is a lot more promising than where Iraq was a year ago.
posted by Alan Stewart Carl @ 2:24 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
ABC Sunday morning show "This Week" reported 12 American soldiers killed in Iraq.
The Sunday "Washington Post" reports this: "Definitely, violence is getting worse," said a U.S. official in Baghdad, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "My strong sense is that a lot of the political momentum that was generated out of the successful election, which was sort of like a punch in the gut to the insurgents, has worn off."
It also reports the Iraqi security forces are melting away again.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12417-2005Apr23.html
war boosterism isn't going to win this war. the war is a lost cause. the troops are the ones bearing the brunt of this misadventure.
In a war, you can always find negatives. It is one-sided to use each setback as proof that the war is a "lost cause" but act as if positive develops prove nothing. Neither you nor I are there and neither can possibilty predict the ultimate outcome. By accusing me of "war boosterism" you obviously mean to say I am ignoring the truth. Is it wrong to speculate that we have made progress? I did not support this war when we went in but that doesn't mean I'm going to assume the worst now.
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