The "Battle of Basrah" from a Soldier on the Ground

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[Bob J]

Soldiers should be the real reporters from Iraq.

[tobyhill]

This is how the MSM is portraying it even though the Government controls almost all of Basra.

****The failure of government forces to capture Basra****

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24110560/

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Absolutely!

[steel_resolve]

In five whole years of being in charge down here the British did nothing. They took the most peaceful city in Iraq and allowed it to deteriorate into the most violent. On average, there were around 15 murders per day. Mostly doctors, teachers, and women. The British didn’t do a thing to stop it, they just sat back and tried to keep from getting involved. The Iraqis took it upon themselves to do what the British (supposedly the second most capable military in the world) refused to.

Bears repeating...loudly.

[JPJones]

bump

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Hotlink to the NY Post story mentioned in the article ....FR thread:

THE IRAQIS STEP UP

************************EXCERPT* INTRO******************

WITH Gen. David Petraeus returning to Capitol Hill tomorrow, I asked a senior Coalition officer in Baghdad late last week what key trends he sees in Iraq. I suspect my friend's views resemble those of the general, so I'll let him speak for himself:

"Overall, civilian deaths remain substantially below those at the height of the sectarian violence. Security incidents were [down to] levels not seen since early 2005. Thanks to help from local civilians [in] former al-Qaeda-in-Iraq safe havens, we've found more arms caches so far this year than were found in all of 2006."

My old comrade went on to lay out the beating that al Qaeda's getting up in Mosul

[WoofDog123]

“Furthermore, imagine fighting a war where the enemy lives within your own neighborhood, knows who you are, and can walk up to your wife and threaten to kill her if you don’t immediately stop fighting. Can you really blame them for quitting?”

Crazy as it sounds, there are some on FR who would condemn and blame them.

[Bob J]

Yes, and from their easy chair recliners with a Bud in their hands.

[grb]

ping

[maine-iac7]

“We have pictures. Somehow, the journalists in Baghdad seem to have missed this. “

Kinda like this? Here's a video clip of the Iraqi Army going at in Sadr City - with backup from our Spec Opts. (Looks like we've trained ‘em up GOOD - and one thing they understand is “GO-GO-GO!”

Bookmark this video for a feel-good play after you read the backwards media spins.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3tMDhVu-f2Q

These actions by the Iraqi Gov’t/Army are a MAJOR advance in our goal of a free Iraq. The people are now trusting that there own Gov’t/Army can and will protect them...the fact that 1,000 qued up to join their army after the fights, testifies to that...and also, the stories coming out that ordinary Iraqis now dare to start up businesses that weren't allowed by the clerics, upon pain of death, before.

That is going to have tremendous consequences - much to the dismay of peeelosi and reedy and gang. (Sorry to have posted the video. I'm sure you're sick of seeing it by now, what with all the exposure it's had on MSM. What? You haven't seen it? s/)

[bpjam]

Untie our troops and commanders hands. Let them WIN this frakking thing and then let them come home!

Our biggest enemy in this war is either Iran or the Pentagon. It’s hard to tell who has killed more US servicemen and cost us more time and money.

[agere_contra]

The Iraqis took it upon themselves to do what the British (supposedly the second most capable military in the world) refused to.

It only bears repeating if you're an ignorant flid.

Read up Michael Yon's dispatches from his time with 4 Rifles. Read up on Operation Arezzo. The Iraqis in Basra wouldn't be fighting today without the British MiTTs and embeds, and five years of mentoring and combined ops. Or do you think the Iraqi army just worked it all out for themselves?

Same MO in Afghanistan. Afghan artillery fighting alongside NATO forces in combined ops. How did that happen? Was it magic? Or was it the result of scrupulously careful formation by British forces?

The British have been training local forces to fight for themselves as far back as the Chindits. It's their country remember.

[agere_contra]

The ‘their’ in ‘It’s their country’ means ‘The locals who make up the bulk of British-trained local forces’.

Woeful grammar confusion, sorry.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Now this hyar’s a post. Thanks for the insight.

[Larebil]

“Our biggest enemy in this war is either Iran or the Pentagon”

That is so true, I have read multiple accounts of the seizing of Fallujah, political bullcrap got in the way so many times and cost the marines lives.

[steel_resolve]

I sometimes wonder what exactly it would take for the Brits and their homers to realize that their softly softly approach in Basra was a mistake. According to your post, apprarently nothing.

[2banana]

The day after the heavy fighting stopped more than 1,000 men showed up at the local army division headquarters wanting to join. They were motivated by the knowledge that their government was actually willing to do something, and heeding the (supposedly politically weakened) prime minister’s call for the sons of Iraq to step up and serve. We have pictures. Somehow, the journalists in Baghdad seem to have missed this.

Funny how you never hear about things like this on CNN...

[colorado tanker]

My old comrade went on to lay out the beating that al Qaeda's getting up in Mosul

That's encouraging. I've heard, not through as good sources, that AQ in Iraq is about finished and the main problem now is breaking the pro-Iranian militias. Does that square with what you are hearing?

[CarryaBigStick]

Bump for later.

[Bahbah]

Great report, Bob. Thanks so much for posting it.