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Iraq: On the brink of collapse
It’s getting worse:
The escalating violence in the Tigris River towns in many ways serves as a microcosm of the daily violence roiling Iraq. Sectarian attacks have increased more than tenfold since the start of the year and now claim more than 100 victims a day, according to the Iraqi government.
This is an important article. It reveals a country on the brink of collapse. Please read it in full.
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7 Responses to “Iraq: On the brink of collapse”
Juan Cole made a good point about this. Open sectarian bloodletting of the sort that happened around Balad is exactly what many reasonable people have warned would happen if the US troops pull out. But if this sort of bloodletting is happening with US troops in their bases just a few miles outside Balad, what the hell are we even doing there? Our mission is supposed to be to support the Iraqi army. But not only is the Iraqi army militarily incapable of fighting on its own, it has served no political purpose either. Nobody in Iraq wants to use the Iraqi army to stop the violence. The central government is either implicated in the fighting itself, or indifferent to it. As long as we let the Iraqis call the shots, our presence is useless. Why are we there?
Since understanding geography isn’t a strong point of the average American’s repertoire, most don’t understand that there are smaller towns and villages in Iraq. They hear about a bombing and figure that was the whole day’s total which is why most people have a hard time wrapping their mind around a half a million Iraqis killed since we invaded.
It is going to sink in sooner or later, I would like to see sooner.
This coincides with the research I have been doing. Iraq is coming unglued rather quickly. Soon, we will start to take some significant causalties. A squad being wiped out, high ranking officer sniped, cargo plane shot down, etc.
Who does the average 11B even fight? Does he know who he is fighting? Does he know why anymore?
There is going to be serious blowback on this, and the Army will be wrecked even worse than it was after 72.
You think Iraq is bad for Republicans now, wait a couple of weeks.
It will be worse.
Elrod,
This article addresses the point you made about the US troops being close by but not helping. A US military officer says that the US troops weren’t initially called on for help but at some point that request was made, and from that point they were able to help regain control. There’s also evidence of infiltration in the Iraqi army and police force by sectarian fighters, who probably instigated this.
I just question your conclusion “Why are we there” when the timeline shows that the US intervention did help. I agree we have to decide whether or not we can do enough, and whether or not we should, when the Iraqi military isn’t doing enough.
C Stanley,
Fair point. The US finally came in. But you have to wonder what the circumstances were to FINALLY bring the US troops in? Was it that the bloodletting had played itself out, and there was nothing for the US to do at that point? Or did the US actually enter a hot zone and quell the violence? The article is unclear on it. If the US is only going to be called in after 100 people are murdered in broad daylight, should we continue to operate that way?
I agree it was unclear about all of the circumstances but I thought it was at least implied that once the US troops came on board they were able to gain control over the situation. My take on it (which may be reading too much between the lines) was that it may be a case of trying to let the Iraqis “stand up” but then they failed to do so and we had to back them up.
I don’t remember the exact number but thousands of Iraqis are on the move attempting to get into secure areas that their coreligionists occupy. The best thing we could do is make the mass movement of people out of contested areas possible with armed convoys and temporary shelter. The cycle of revenge attacks makes any attempt for these people to live in proximity of each other almost impossible. Until the police and military forces are not seen as players in sectarian violence it is about the only way to reduce casualties.