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Anti-Insurgency Push Fails in Baghdad

Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 10:32 pm
by Doug
U.S. to Rethink Baghdad Peace Efforts After Attempt to Curb Violence Misses Expectations

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The U.S. military acknowledged Thursday that its two-month drive to crush insurgent and militia violence in the Iraqi capital had fallen short, calling the raging bloodshed disheartening and saying it was rethinking its strategy to rein in gunmen, torturers and bombers.

The admission by military spokesman Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell came as car bombs, mortar fire and shootings around the country killed at least 66 people and wounded 175. The dead included the Anbar province police commander, slain by gunmen who burst into his home in Ramadi.

The U.S. military also announced the deaths of three U.S. troops in fighting, raising the toll for American troops in October to 74. The month is on course to be the deadliest for U.S. forces in nearly two years.

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Read the rest here.

DOUG
Remember, Dick Cheney said on Wretch Limbaugh's show, regarding the U.S. troops in Iraq: "If you look at the general overall situation, they’re doing remarkably well."

Of course, Dick "The Liar" Cheney is the guy who said that American troops would be greeted as liberators and that the insurgency was in its last throes.

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Recall too that in May of this year the Joint Chiefs of Staff circulated a secret intelligence assessment to the White House that forecasted a more violent 2007: "Insurgents and terrorists retain the resources and capabilities to sustain and even increase current level of violence through the next year."

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:07 am
by Barbara Fitzpatrick
The number one rule for winning anything is "Don't put the enemy in a position of having nothing to lose" - life in Iraq is so bad, they have nothing to lose.

Too bad the current powers that be have so little history. The Iraqi "war" was played out here 1775-1782 and the overwhelming, well-trained, well-armed invading force was held at bay by rag-tag bands of insurgents until help came from a sympathetic nation (France in our case).