Anbar Picture Grows Clearer, and Bleaker (Treason Alert: Leaked Classified Report)

The Washington Post ^ | November 28, 2006 | Dafna Linzer and Thomas E. Ricks

[RedRover]

The U.S. military is no longer able to defeat a bloody insurgency in western Iraq or counter al-Qaeda's rising popularity there, according to newly disclosed details from a classified Marine Corps intelligence report that set off debate in recent months about the military's mission in Anbar province.

The Marines recently filed an updated version of that assessment that stood by its conclusions and stated that, as of mid-November, the problems in troubled Anbar province have not improved, a senior U.S. intelligence official said yesterday. "The fundamental questions of lack of control, growth of the insurgency and criminality" remain the same, the official said.

The Marines' August memo, a copy of which was shared with The Washington Post, is far bleaker than some officials suggested when they described it in late summer. The report describes Iraq's Sunni minority as "embroiled in a daily fight for survival," fearful of "pogroms" by the Shiite majority and increasingly dependent on al-Qaeda in Iraq as its only hope against growing Iranian dominance across the capital.

True or not, the memo says, "from the Sunni perspective, their greatest fears have been realized: Iran controls Baghdad and Anbaris have been marginalized." Moreover, most Sunnis now believe it would be unwise to count on or help U.S. forces because they are seen as likely to leave the country before imposing stability.

Between al-Qaeda's violence, Iran's influence and an expected U.S. drawdown, "the social and political situation has deteriorated to a point" that U.S. and Iraqi troops "are no longer capable of militarily defeating the insurgency in al-Anbar," the assessment found. In Anbar province alone, at least 90 U.S. troops have died since Sept. 1.

[hosepipe]

One of the signs of "last days".. i.e. before Jesus returns ANGRY..
"They will become traitors/treasonous.."

No doubt about it to be a democrat either makes you personally a traitor or a supporter of traitors or BOTH.. Oh! and a Security Risk..

[RedRover]

I like the way Newt Gringrich is looking at it.

The first campaign was a very successful military victory. The second phase was a brutually difficult task that failed.

We now need a third campaign to get the job done. We need the stomach to truly let loose the dogs of war. The Iraqis have to fear us again. Without fear, we'll never begin to gain control.