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| Iraq |
| Today’s tidbits from Franks briefing |
| 2003-03-30 |
| WaPo headline more sensational, but mine is more accurate! The commander of the U.S. war in Iraq denied Sunday that he had asked the Pentagon for more troops before invading the country but sidestepped a question about whether the war might last into the summer. Gen. Tommy Franks, speaking at a daily briefing of the U.S. Central Command in Doha, Qatar, was responding to published reports that the requests of U.S. generals for more ground troops were repeatedly denied by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Good generals always want more. If Franks wasn't happy with what he had two weeks ago, he would have said so up the chain of command, and very strongly. Reports also quoted U.S. military officials as saying the lack of troops and weapons meant the war might last into the summer. "One never knows how long a war will take," Franks said. Speaking with marked emphasis, Franks ticked off nine successes of coalition forces since the beginning of the war, starting with securing southern oil fields. "The Air Force has worked 24 hours a day across every square foot of Iraq, and every day the regime loses more of its military capability," Franks said. Obviously responding to growing public questions about the U.S. preparation for the war in light of strong resistance met by forces in south and central Iraq, Franks appeared angry at the start of the briefing. "We're in fact on plan. And where we stand today is not, in my view, only acceptable, but truly remarkable," he said. You bet. 1/3 of the country under control, 250 miles in, air supremacy, control of the oilfields, re-opening the major port, blowing away the southern Iraqi army, seriously degrading the RG, and just maybe, possibly whacking Sammy & Sons -- all in 11 days. Not too shabby a start. Franks also rejected reports that his forces had engaged in an "operational pause" near the gates of Baghdad. U.S. ground forces are about 50 miles south of the city. "There have been some pundits who have indicated we may be in an operational pause," Franks said. "This simply is not the case." Franks was asked again about civilian casualties in Baghdad as a result of coalition bomb and missile attacks, but did not directly address the question, saying instead, "This is an incredible, precise operation." He said the Iraqi people understood the care coalition forces were taking to avoid harming civilians and, "the people of Iraq will welcome their liberation, to be sure." The peaceniks predicted "hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths". The Iraqi Propaganda Ministry claims 700 dead in Baghdad so far. Even if we accepted that number, we're 3 orders of magnitude away from the predictions of the Chicken Littles. What a testament to our guys, the rules of engagement and our ability to fight this war. When asked whether the Iraqi leader had survived the attacks, Franks said he did not know. "I don't know whether the leader of this regime is dead or alive," Franks said. "I have not seen credible evidence over the last period of days that this regime is being controlled from the top." He said the coalition had achieved air and ground freedom of action in western Iraq, was staging air operations from a number of captured air fields and had secured the coastline, clearing the way for humanitarian aid shipments to begin. One might ask the peaceniks if an advancing Iraqi army would have shipments of humanitarian aid following so closely behind it. He said coalition forces had also destroyed a massive terrorist facility in northern Iraq. At least 120 militants were killed in the attack on Ansar al-Islam, an extremist group suspected of being linked to the al-Qaida network. He also said Iraqis opposed to Saddam were working with coalition forces, notably in Nasiriyah, where they provided records on ruling Baath party officials. He did not elaborate. There will be more of this. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #2 "blowing away the southern Iraqi army" One of the reasons for confusion and anxiety is this. In '91 we were fighting in Kuwait, iraqi soldiers had no where to go, and surrendered in droves. Prisoner bag in this war so far seems relatively small 4,000 to 8,000 (though not much data being released)- presumably they have deserted to their homes instead of surrendering. Initial word was that 51st Mech had dissolved - then came claims that they had gone into Basra to take new weapons and fight. More recently we here that regulars fighting in Basra do so only with Fedayeen at their backs. So how do we count the 51st? Similarly Strategy page says 11th div is gone - but again no mass surrenders. Lots of dead Iraqi vehicles all over - but no counts released. US line is now Kut-Najaf-Karbala, and pockets south of that mainly Fedayeen, so southern regulars must have dissolved, but not clear. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2003-03-30 19:30:59 |
| #1 It wasn't only the peaceniks who predicted 100K++ deaths, it was the UN. 2 sides same coin I know, but I consider the UN more statist. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-03-30 16:52:24 |