Article

2007-01-09 Iraq

Terrorists Killed in Iraq, 35 Detained; Bomb Damages Tank

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2007-01-09 11:34|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Note that probably 100% of the bad guys iced/nabbed in these ops are Sunni. About 95% of the chatter and emotion on warblogger comment boards is about Sadr and Shi'a militias. There's a fairly widespread view - simply preposterous - that Iran is the key to short-term security issues in Iraq. You squash the Sunni rejectionists and their sympathizers' spirits, you do more to deprive Sadr et al of oxygen than anything (OK, Najaf/Karbala-type ops literally deprive them of oxygen, but I'm talking day-to-day, and they're not gonna offer "battle" like that again if they can help it, I'm betting).

The first problem to solve, which involves far more kinetic ops than politics or jobs programs, and has been so since the outset, is the Sunni one. That hasn't changed, even with Iranian meddling and Iraqi pathologies (corruption, incompetence, etc.) becoming more evident as obstacles to standing up Iraqi security forces and police.

Failure to focus on Sunni suppression first was a mistake. A repeat of that this time will be our last mistake, given the political situation (itself substantially the product of sins of omission by the administration). I'm pessimistic that a leadership (both civilian and military) that could persist with such an obviously ineffective strategy for so long will now suddenly get practical and do the hard stuff.

There are no non-military solutions to the type of problems presented by the Iraqi insurgency. Only non-military supporting elements (minor, really). But only incredibly rich, powerful, semi-disengaged hyperpowers can toy with COIN games and theories when the stakes are real blood, treasure, and national interests.

Posted by Verlaine 2007-01-09 12:25|| 2007-01-09 12:25|| Front Page Top

#2 Well-said Verlaine. My connections in Iraq tell me that there are Soddy fingerprints all over the Sunni insurgents. The latest scuttlebutt is that Ibrahim the Red is hiding out in Soddy.

Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2007-01-09 12:46|| 2007-01-09 12:46|| Front Page Top

#3 Of course you're correct Verlaine. These Sunnis should have been virtually exterminated on the first pass thru. It's too late now. Petraus isn't going to do this or follow this course of action. So, I don't see much improvement. The only hope is that the troop buildup is really to back strikes on Iran coming right up.

Posted by SpecOp35 2007-01-09 21:09|| 2007-01-09 21:09|| Front Page Top

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