Article

2007-08-31 Iraq

A City and a US captain that drove out al-Qaeda

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Posted by mrp 2007-08-31 08:51|| || Front Page|| [2 views ] Top

#1 I had met Captain Patriquin while embedded with US troops in Ramadi last November. He was a big man, moustachioed, ex-Special Forces, fluent in Arabic and engaged in what was then a revolutionary experiment for a US military renowned for busting doors down. He and a small group from the First Brigade Combat Team, part of the 1st Armoured Division, were assiduously courting the local sheikhs tribal leaders over endless cups of tea and cigarettes.

Think Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles, John Wayne, in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon. For over a hundred years our military dealt with tribes, insurgents, and nation building. The names and technology may change, but the process hasn't. Unfortunately, there's been a great reluctance in the institution to hold desperately on the ways of WWII and Gulf I.

Posted by Procopius2k 2007-08-31 14:47|| 2007-08-31 14:47|| Front Page Top

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