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| Iraq |
| Iraqi Special Operations Forces, USSF detain extremist brigade commander |
| 2007-10-18 |
| Iraqi Special Operations Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained an extremist brigade commander in an early morning raid Oct. 16 in the al Hurriyah area. The targeted commander is allegedly the main financier and weapons supplier in the al Shula area, near Baghdad. His 300-member cell is responsible for improvised explosive device attacks against Coalition Forces and the Iraqi Army. Additionally, approximately 12-million Iraqi Dinar, close to $10,000, was confiscated at the target house during the raid. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 Among the administration's most catastrophic (and utterly avoidable) failures has been the way they've endorsed, even adopted, the diastrous and irresponsible framework for Iraq that we must get out NOW! IMMEDIATELY! SOON! The long run is made up of a sequence of short runs. If Bush had said "We're in for 60 years." there would have been an uprising to withdraw he couldn't have resisted. But when we're just going to be in for a few more years, each President only has to explain why we can't leave just yet. But soon. After 15 rinse and repeats, 60 years will be up. Or until the world no longer need Arab petrol. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-10-18 16:32 |
| #4 I think our SF advisors are there to critique operations, not guide them. We supply feedback that makes the next operation go more smoothly. I also agree with Verlaine on some of the points she made below. I feel, based on what knowledge I've gained from Rantburg and a few other sources, that havng a strong base in Iraq was one of the major undeclared reasons President Bush ordered the invasion. Consider: the US has a strong military presence on the border of Syria and Iran, known state sponsors of terrorism; in the heart of the Middle East also bordering Turkey, a nation that seems to be on the verge of establishing a non-secular government after 80+ years; at the head of the vital Persian Gulf, where a large percentage of oil shipments originate; and within easy support of Israel, in case there's another Arab/Israeli confrontation. Afghanistan gives us a less-desirable location on the borders of Iran and Pakistan, again major sources of funding and personnel for terrorism. Only an idiot would believe US troops in these areas is a bad idea. Unfortunately, we have an inordinate number of idiots in Congress and the US government bureaucracy. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-10-18 16:03 |
| #3 LH, We're going to have a substantial presense in Iraq for the next 60 odd years. A major base and a client gov't dependant upon us right in the heart of the middle east is just too darn useful to let go of. Like it or not. We will be advising in force concurrently regardless of the capabilities of the Iraqi military. I'm personaly resigned to mobilizing every 5 years for the rest of my guard career. My only complaint is why coudnt the terrorists come from someplace with available women and drinkable booze like germany? |
| Posted by: N guard 2007-10-18 13:54 |
| #2 Patience, LH, patience. We all know that every aspect of an effective handover to Iraqis, political, management, and military, will take a long time, in some cases years and years. I for one would like to see our deep involvement with Iraqi SF continue for many, many years - in fact, indefinitely. Ditto with Iraqi intelligence. Uh, that's a large part of the huge potential payoff of doing this whole thing in the first place. It can be argued that much of the near-term payoff was squandered the last few years, but the potential gains will remain for a USG that is serious about staying on the offensive. Americans tolerated or supported a very expensive US forward presence in Europe and Asia for DECADES (with apologies to Mike Mansfield). Among the administration's most catastrophic (and utterly avoidable) failures has been the way they've endorsed, even adopted, the diastrous and irresponsible framework for Iraq that we must get out NOW! IMMEDIATELY! SOON! Perhaps the memoirs will tell us whether this mistake was founded on an uncharacteristic failure of political vision at home or the pervasive and absurd notion that our mere presence is a problem. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2007-10-18 12:26 |
| #1 good, but one might expect that the Spec forces will be among the first Iraqi units to operate without advisers, or maybe not given the demanding nature of their work. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2007-10-18 09:40 |