Iraqis Ask Why U.S. Forces Didn’t Intervene in Balad

NY Times ^ | October 17 2006 | MICHAEL LUO

[jmc1969]

American military units joined with Iraqi forces on Monday in maintaining a fragile peace between Sunni and Shiite communities in Balad, a rural town north of the capital where an explosion of sectarian violence over the weekend left dozens dead.

In the aftermath of the reprisals, some residents of Balad asked why American troops had not intervened when the killings began in earnest on Saturday. One of the largest American military bases in Iraq, Camp Anaconda, which includes a sprawling air base that serves as the logistical hub of the war, is nearby.

“People are bewildered because of the weak response by the Americans,” said one Balad resident who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals. “They used to patrol the city every day, but when the violence started, we didn’t see any sign of them.”

American military commanders reviewing what happened over the weekend concluded that the situation in Balad was best dealt with by the Iraqi armed forces, a senior American military official said.

The senior officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the subject, said that American commanders viewed the upheaval in Balad as a new test for the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who has come under American pressure to crack down on militias that have been responsible for much of the killing in the country.

The American military eventually provided what Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a military spokesman, described as “quick reaction force assistance” to the Iraqi Army and the police in the area.

[oceanview]

fire Abizaid.

[jmc1969]

You don't like Abizaid either I see.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

More "Yankee Infidel Crusaders go home!!!!........but do it slowly" crap.

How about you stop shooting and bombing each other. That might solve the problem.

[jmc1969]

Why has Abizaid been able to be completely shielded from criticism when everyone else including Tommy Franks has been taken apart by the media?

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

There we go again, N.Y. Slime. We are trying to get the Iraqi's to shoulder more of the responsibility for their own security (so we can leave), and the libs scream we are not doing enough. They don't want ANYTHING to work, because they are losers, now and forever!

[Tut]

They don't want ANYTHING to work, because they are losers, now and forever!

I don't think it is they don't want anything to work so much, though you are also correct, as much as they take the apposing view of the current realities, no matter what cost.

But I DO find it remarkable that they would criticize the military on the ground in Iraq when the New York Slimes only responsibility is to sell news papers.

That doesn't pass the smell test.

[spyone]

Not a bad idea to sit down and not do ANYTHING for a coupla weeks. Patriotic Iraqis have to step up or recognize they need help.

[World_Events]

Agreed. It's damned if you do damned if you don't. If the U.S. were patrolling and kicking arse, these same iraqis would be screaming about the occupiers and their heavy handed tactics. From time to time you gotta let these people fight it out themselves. The U.S. can't hold their collective hands forever, they need to suck it up and stop being spoiled babies.

[Chena]

NY Slimes again. .."some residents of Balad asked why American troops had not intervened when the killings began in earnest on Saturday." SOME residents asked why.... Well of course they did! I would have too if I was an Iraqi and had become accustomed to the feeling of security our troops have brought to Balad. It is right that we turn over operations to the Iraqi security forces, but I am certainly not upset when a citizen of Balad, or elsewhere in Iraq, asks a "why?" question in a time when they have been horrified by more violence against their citizens.

Don't let the NYSlimes twist this into something it is not. Our son was stationed at Camp Anaconda (Balad) and the stories he has told of the kindness shown them by the Iraqi people in Balad (and elsewhere in Iraq) are heartwarming (understatement).

[Cinnamon]

who infidels not so fast.. LOL

[CBart95]

Anything published by the NYT is suspect and almost always slanted toward leftwing HateAmerica propaganda.

[miliantnutcase]

STOP BEING A VICTIM! STAND UP FOR YOURSELVES. /end Denny Green rant

[jmc1969]

I have no doubt the Iraqi people are kind and nice. The problem in Iraq is the militias and terrorists.

Some generals like Abizaid who agree with Murtha are also a big problem. Because, they don't believe we should help the Iraqi people.

[Joe Boucher]

Maybe we wanted to let both sides thin out the crazies. Let each side kill the other.

[Alberta's Child]

I agree with you 100%. This is the exact same climate you find in a typical urban sh!t-hole in the U.S., where a population of dysfunctional losers alternates between demands for more police protection and complaints about police brutality.

[bolobaby]

“People are bewildered because of the weak response by the Americans,” said one Balad resident who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals. “They used to patrol the city every day, but when the violence started, we didn’t see any sign of them.”

Well, that's putting the cart before the horse, isn't it?

[Americanexpat]

As a civilian security contractor I have been by the city of Balad several times and was shot at and nearly blown up with an IED. IMO that town and Haditha should be napalmed off the map. I think the US forces were right to step back and let these people go at it. It was right to let the Iraqi police and military deal with these people.

[TexKat]

Over the weekend, Taysser Musawi, a Shiite cleric in Balad, said Shiite leaders in the town had appealed to Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential cleric whose bloc is the largest in Iraq's Shiite-led government, to send militiamen to defend local Shiites and take revenge.

Shiite fighters responded in force, local police said. Witnesses said Shiite fighters began hunting down Sunnis, allegedly setting up checkpoints in the area to stop travelers and demand to know whether they were Shiite or Sunni.

The violence in Balad was unusual because of the sustained deployment of the militias on the streets, and the killing seemed particularly vicious. Balad was "under siege from all sides," police 1st Lt. Bassim Hamdi said Monday by telephone from the city.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003308395_balad17.html

[TexKat]

U.S. Joins Iraqis in City Where 91 Died

By Tuesday morning, the U.S. military said American forces had responded to Iraqi requests to back up security forces in the town, which lies near a major U.S. air base an hour's drive north of the capital. As the violence had raged over the weekend, the American military initially said it had not been asked for help.

"By coordinating all of our efforts, we have seen a marked decrease in violence in the past 24 hours," said Lt. Col. Jeffery Martindale, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. He said U.S. forces were also firing back at insurgents launching mortar attacks on civilians in the area.

Martindale also said U.S. troops detained a pair of Iraqi police officers in the neighboring Sunni town of Duluiyah. The men were suspected of being involved in the slaying of 17 Shiite Muslim workers last week that sparked a wave of revenge killings by Shiite militiamen, Martindale said.