Posted on 09/13/2007 10:55:23 AM PDT by tobyhill
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. troops should stay in Iraq to keep ethnic violence from spiraling out of control, but they shouldn't stay too long, according to a panel of Iraqi youth convened by CNN.
"Leave, but not now," said Mohamed Ibrahim, a 22-year-old medical student who lives in Baghdad.
"If American soldiers leave Iraq now it will be more, more dangerous for us," said Karrar Sabih, 21, a fellow medical student. One of his three brothers was killed by insurgents south of Baghdad in 2004.
These are opinions one hears often in Iraq. Many Iraqis are uncomfortable with foreign troops on their soil but aware that without them the country could descend deeper into sectarian warfare.
Mohamed and Karrar were joined in this CNN-sponsored roundtable discussion by three other young Iraqis -- Woroud Abdul Kareem, her brother Ali Abdul Kareem and Mais Abdulla. The group ranged in age from 14 to 24 and included a ninth-grader, a police academy cadet, a lawyer and two medical students. Learn more about the participants »
They came from different parts of Baghdad to talk about what they think about their lives, the presence of U.S. troops and Iraq's future. Many of the questions they answered were posed by Americans who sent e-mails and videos in response to a CNN I-Report request last week.
"How do you see this war in Iraq ending? And what are you and your friends and family doing to help that come true? As you know, we have lots of soldiers over there risking their lives and dying so that you can live in a freer country," asked Matthew Rankow, a student at George Washington University in Washington. Watch the roundtable participants answer Matthew's question »
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
And it is a message which the DEms need to heed ( but they won't, they are blind on the issue of returning to power to establksih the DEM Utopia, Big Brother of the wrong sort.).
Iraq ping.
Even if all youth can’t be military qualified, they can certainly contribute in other ways to the betterment of their society.
If we're going to leave anyway, we might as well do it now. We are not the military slaves - the janissaries - of the Muslim world. Let them kill each other and have Allah sort them out. And if they come here again? Well, it looks like we'll get a second bite of the apple, won't we? Maybe this time we'll deal with the problem - for good.
Well then let’s get to it Mohamed. Get control of your country so our guys can come home. Get the terrorists out of your country, rat them out when you see them.
You and your countrymen need to unite and take your country back.
We have given you a new life, take advantage of it...
And thank the US soldiers who are in your country giving their all for your freedom.
Mohamed, the US soldiers who you don’t like, have given their all for you. What have you done for your country?
I'd ask Mo-Ham-Head how long he expects Sunnis and Shiite will continue hating and killing each other. Then I'd tell him, the next day.
The first step to reform is to acknowledge your problem.
Define: Youth
I was using it more in a generic term but if I was to qualify an age it would be 16-30.
The realities set in.
True.
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