Wednesday, August 15, 2007

the US military is NOT doing a good job in Iraq.

most americans would disagree with my topic statement, even though the truth is obvious, when looking at developments in Iraq.

but here s another important indicator:

"This is an act of ethnic cleansing, if you will, almost genocide, when you consider the fact of the target they attacked, and the fact that these Yazidis are really out in a very remote part of Ninevah province where they're, there is very little security, and really no security required up until this point," Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, the commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq, told CNN.

Mixon said last month that he proposed reducing American troop levels in Ninevah and predicted the province would shift to Iraqi government control as early as this month. It was unclear whether that projection would hold after Tuesday's staggering death tolls.

so, the General thought that Ninevah was doing fine and that the Yazidis were safe.
weird thought, after this event:

The sect has been under fire since some members stoned a Yazidi teenager to death in April. She had converted to Islam and fled her family with a Muslim boyfriend, and police said 18-year-old Duaa Khalil Aswad was killed by relatives who disapproved of the match.

A grainy video showing gruesome scenes of the woman's killing was later posted on Iraqi Web sites. Its authenticity could not be independently verified, but recent attacks on Yazidis have been blamed on al-Qaida-linked Sunni insurgents seeking revenge.

the US military in Iraq is seriously underequipted and understaffed. it was sent into this war without a plan and with an impossible mission.

so one could forgive them their failure in providing security for the country. but the repetitions of faults like this one, are unforgivable. as is the fact, that the US military still has not spoken up against US politics!

2 comments:

Jennifer Briney said...

The fact that they are put in the position to have to speak up against our policies is tragic.

We cannot forget about all the generals that have spoken up and have been fired for it. The military is doing its job, but there's still a significant enough portion of the US citizens that buy into the propaganda. You must imagine, considering their lives are on the line for this and so many of their friends have been lost already, that the military men and woman may need to drink some of the kool-aid in order to keep doing their jobs.

I think it's time that Congress step up and speak out. Enough military personal have done it. Our representatives need to show the same kind of spine.

sod said...

The fact that they are put in the position to have to speak up against our policies is tragic.

yes it is. and speaking against their political command, is going against every thing they have been trained for.

yet i don t understand, why they don t accept responsibility for clear military failure. Abu Ghraib, Fallujah, training the iraqi police (Petraeus did this!!) all simply ASK for some commanders to step back.
they didn t.

You must imagine, considering their lives are on the line for this and so many of their friends have been lost already, that the military men and woman may need to drink some of the kool-aid in order to keep doing their jobs.
well, i know the military. most of the guys are there, because they are not going to leave their comrades alone in trouble.
the current recruitment trend helps as well. very conservative guys and people in desperate need of money.
once you lost your family, yet another deployment might look ,more like relieve, less than trouble.

Our representatives need to show the same kind of spine.
i fear this is not going to happen. elections in the US prevent this. candidates and parties want to show, that they are tough on foreign policies, "good" commanders in chief.

Bush veto tactic is a clever one: he will veto everything. congress will not defund the military.
i think they NEED help from the military, to get out of this.