A US soldier takes a break during a search of an apartment in the south-east of Baghdad. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters
Simon Tisdall reports for the Guardian, that a group of officers has told General Petraeus that he has six months to win the war in Iraq. If he fails, political and public pressure might force the U.S. into a hasty withdrawal. The officers are discribed by Simon as “an elite team” and “combat veterans who are leading experts in counter-insurgency… charged with implementing the ‘new way forward’ strategy announced by president George Bush on January 10.”
An interesting quote from the (main) source who is a ‘former senior administration official’:
“The scene is very tense. They are working round the clock. Endless cups of tea with the Iraqis, but they’re still trying to figure out what’s the plan. The president is expecting progress. But they’re thinking, what does he mean? The plan is changing every minute, as all plans do.”
This indicates that, although the army and the White House understand that it’s ‘make-or-break’ now, the communication between both is – still – far from perfect.
That isn’t exactly encouraging.
Tisdall lists “the main obstacles contronting General Petraeus’s team”:
· Insufficent numbers of troops on the ground
· A “disintegrating” international coalition
· An anticipated upsurge in violence in the south as the British leave
· Morale problems as casualties rise
· A failure of political will in Washington and/or Baghdad
Michael J. Stickings wonders what the definition of victory exactly is. My good friend Jules Crittenden meanwhile, considers the article to be a “one-source gripefest”.
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