The War In Iraq

As violence surges, is there an end in sight?

A look at the news in the ongoing Iraq war.

Facts For The Good Fight

ONE — NEW VIOLENCE

A rash of bombings across Baghdad over the weekend left 60 dead. Monday, things were even worse, as “clashes between Shiite militiamen and U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in a southern city killed at least 23 and injured 70 while a suicide bombing in the capital killed 15, including 8 policemen.” The fighting broke out for hours between the Iraqi army and members of a militia loyal to militant cleric Moktada al-Sadr. [Washington Post]

TWO — EFFECT ON IRAQI MILITARY

The violence has left some in the Iraqi military reluctant to head to Baghdad to fight. According to Brig. Gen. Dana Pittard, head of training for the Iraqi Army, a group of approximately 100 Iraqi soldiers flatly refused to leave their post on the border of Iran to go to Baghdad “to participate in the effort to restore order in the Iraqi capital.” The problem is unfortunately a more common one in Iraq; the predominantly Shia soldiers didn’t want to leave their home province to fight in a Sunni province. Far from establishing a true national army in Iraq, “Sunni Arabs are reluctant to join the Iraqi Army if it means they will be send far from home to predominantly Shiite areas. Shiites, for their part, are hesitant to serve in regions that are overwhelmingly Sunni.” [NY Times]

THREE – VIOLENCE FROM WITHIN

President Bush is fond of saying the U.S. military will stand down as the Iraqi military stands up. The idea was that Iraqi military and police units would grow strong enough to take over security, leaving the U.S. military free to leave. The widespread corruption may make the problems worse, though: “Many Baghdad residents, however, think that Iraq’s notoriously corrupt and sectarian police forces are part of the problem. U.S. and Iraqi officials acknowledge that Shiite Muslim militiamen, many of whom have infiltrated the police, are responsible for most of Baghdad’s slayings, but there is still no plan to disarm paramilitary groups.” [LA Times]

FOUR — U.S. CASUALTIES

The military has been hit hard by the latest violence. U.S. forces have lost nine soldiers since Saturday. “Eight of the soldiers were killed by roadside bomb attacks and one by gunfire, according to the brief military statements.” [Washington Post]

FIVE — U.S. MILITARY STRETCHED THIN

The surges in violence have left the U.S. military stretched thin. Currently, there are 138,000 troops in Iraq, many on their second and even third deployments. “Last week, the Pentagon announced an involuntary recall of as many as 2,500 Marines reservists. The Army has issued recall orders to 10,000 soldiers.” [LA Times]

 

People Are Talking

“Violence has decreased and our security ability is increasing. I can assure the people of Iraq that Iraq will never be in civil war.”

— Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki, with eyes wide shut. [CNN]

Power Point

  • Even if all’s fair in love and war, this may be taking the old addage too far: the Washington Post reports that “the majority of U.S. service members charged in the unlawful deaths of Iraqi civilians have been acquitted, found guilty of relatively minor offenses or given administrative punishments without trials.” [Washington Post]
  • Behind the numbers: experts estimatee that thousands of Iraqi civilians have been killed by U.S. forces. Still, only 39 service members were formally accused for the deaths of 20 Iraqis since 2003. And in the end, 12 of them served prison time.
  • One side of the story: some experts and analysts say that the low number reflects the caution and professionalism being used by the military in an urban battlefield where it’s hard to tell who’s an enemy, and who isn’t.
  • The other side of the story: other experts say that’s a cop-out. Many argue the statistics illustrate commanders’ reluctance to investigate and hold troops accountable when they take the lives of civilians.
  • “I think there were many other engagements that should have been investigated, definitely,” said an Army major who served in Iraq in 2004, speaking anonymously because he fears retribution. “But no one wanted to look at them or report them higher. . . . It was just the way things worked.”