Iraq Civil War - #4 (Day 4): The Mighty U.S. Trained And Supported Iraqi Army

If the U.S. general public was tuning in at all to the current goings-on in Iraq, this image alone could blow a major hole in the Administration's rationale for being there.

After $22 billion spent training the Iraqi army, how does Team Petraeus justify the sight of Iraqi Security forces -- within days of launching an all-out attack on the Mahdi -- turning over their weapons to officials of Muqtada al-Sadr in exchange for Korans and olive branches?

And by the way, even if few Americans ever see the picture of these forty soldiers giving it up, you can bet (if you notice the guy getting it all down on video) that the Iraqi public is getting an eye full.

After years of effort, Iraqi army still can't 'stand up' (Star-Telegram/AP)
Cleric Suspends Battle in Basra by Shiite Militia (NYT)
The BAG's Iraq Civil War posts in one place

(image: Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images. Sadr City.  March 30, 2008.  nytimes.com)

Comments

[Kevin Hayden]

It looks pretty hard to spin, but I suspect they'll say it's the fault of the nuclear armed Iranians, and their sponsor, Barack Obama.

[lytom]

Soldier fully armed his head almost touching the holly book, in supplication posture...unbelievable. But one cannot forget the seriousness of this event! This is the pledge of allegiance that cannot be ignored.

[black dog barking]

For just a second I flashed on something I remember hearing a long long time ago. Something about Bless Ed and Bea and peacemakers, … forget it. Just crazy talk.

[bonerici]

here's how you spin it

1. This was a victory for Maliki. Al-Sadr told his forces to stand down.

2. The MSM is spinning wildly to explain how this was not a victory. They never report the good news, they are all defeatocrats that want to lose.

3. This is a cause for celebration, Maliki is now realizing the dangers of Al-Sadr and taking prominent steps to deal with them militias. Maliki could have destroyed the entire Madhi army, but held back. At least now he realizes what a thug Al-Sadr is, and in the future, when Al-Sadr and all of his forces are destroyed, victory in Iraq will be near.

[MonsieurGonzo]

crossref JC : “Bush reduced to Irrelevancy in Iraq”

MG: imho, I think most Americans would be shocked if told directly: (1) that Mr. Maliki's ‘Government Forces’ consist, in main body ~ of BADR Corps militia, with direct links to IRAN; and, (2) that the recent ‘Cease-Fire Agreement’ between Mr. Maliki and Mr. Sadr was, itself negotiated in IRAN.

i mean, how in the hell can this be true, given how belligerent are the anti-IRAN statements of U.S. political officials, as well as many military officers now leading our troops? it doesn't make any sense! Yes, i know you stated as much the other night on PBS NewsHour, Professor ~ but i still think most Americans would be shocked to see an honest map of the place (next time, ask for a blackboard :)

The revelation of Basra is not that something just happened there, but that the place even exists : For AngloAmerican Occupation Forces, the Zone d'Occupation is evacuated; For NGO agencies, the urban area is no-go; for western media, whenever a tree falls in this forest, there is no one there to see it, tell us about it.

imho, as soon as we realize the strategic importance of Basra we can plainly see that Messrs. Bush and Cheney, and General Petraeus have no strategic vision for Basra apparent ~ and can muster with Mr. Maliki nothing more than this recent, near-catastrophic TheySurge effort to counter the TurfWar State of affairs that exists, and will persist ~ in lieu of any meaningful ‘State of IRAQ’ fantasy of Federal authority.

While the General builds his defenses deeper, and tells us that the number of offensive attacks against him is lessening ~ Iraqis wonder “Why?” Why do the American Occupation Forces refuse to "go ahead and ‘occupy’ the bloody place!" Or, they wonder “Why?” Why, whenever the Americans do attempt ‘to occupy’, they do so by laying waste to some place, and choose to rule over only rubble?

[jtfromBC]

~ Allahu Akbar

[Joe the Dog Lover]

Completly frustrating.