Posted on 04/24/2008 8:40:50 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
The British troops did a fine job in the South. Unfortunately some of their leaders left a lot to be desired. The have performed some of the same tactics in Afghanistan and it has not worked out either. You cannot not make deals with these people.
So much for the bs the British were tossing out about this operation being a failure.
A better ally than most but their stationing in Basra reminded me of the WW2 policy that allowed them to bomb Germany during the night and forced the US to bomb during the day. Its like-Thanks for helping but don’t be such a wuss about it.
Just a few days ago:
“Battle to retake Basra was ‘complete disaster’”
‘Senior sources have said that the mission was undermined by incompetent officers and untrained troops who were sent into battle with inadequate supplies of food, water and ammunition.
They said the failure had delayed the British withdrawal by “many months”.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2004181/posts
Sure glad this was written for a British newspaper & not one of ours.
Probably one of the reasons that the Iraqi troops did such a good job is that they don’t have to worry about being politically correct in dealing with the Iraqi bad guys. That and the fact that they know their way around.
And you know what may be the best part? The Iraqis are largely responsible for ridding Basra of the “black men”. They are taking responsibility, they are fighting the terrorists.
Another positive in this article - it proves, once and for all, that the Iraqis don’t want the Islamists running their country. These are not rules anyone wants to live by.
Good to see the media doesn't wait too long to acknowledge these things. /s
And they're proving to themselves that they can do it. That's the best encouragement they could get.
They needed the help initially but time for them to do it themselves.
There’s nothing like a little taste of freedom. It’s like a vaccine against despotism.
Agreed on both counts. You know, all things taken together, the fighting in Basra is more encouraging than discouraging. If I understand the situation correctly, our side initiated it to drive out the militias - and it worked.
And so much for the BS the British were tossing out about how well their tactics were succeeding in Basra in comparison with the American "cowboy" tactics in the rest of Iraq. The British "tactics" in Basra were pure Neville Chamberlain.
Execellent news ping!
By the way.
Just ID’d another Anbar based IA brigade in Basrah (26th).
Half the IA stationed in Anbar is vacationing in Basrah now.
Only three brigades left in Anbar and one of those commisioned 3 Apr.
The IPs have taken over security in the cities there...
They've earned a vacation....LOL!
WOOHOO! no more taliban, no more sharia in Basra!
All across Iraq's second city life is improving, a month after Iraqi troops began a surprise crackdown on the black-clad gangs who were allowed to flourish under the British military... after three years of being terrified of kidnap, rape and murder -- a fate that befell scores of other women -- Nadyia Ahmed, 22, is among those enjoying a sense of normality, happy for the first time to attend her science course at Basra University... She also no longer has to wear a headscarf. Under the strict Islamic rules imposed by the militias, women had to cover their hair, could not wear jeans or bright clothes and were strictly forbidden from sitting next to male colleagues on pain of death... the Iraqi commander in charge of the unprecedented operation is confident that his forces will soon achieve something that the British military could not -- a city free from rogue gunmen... Local people are daring to hope that the dark days of death squads and kidnap are over, displaying the sort of optimism that was last seen when British forces arrived in 2003 with the false promise of a better life free from Saddam Hussein... For the first time in four years local residents have been emboldened to stand up to the militants and are turning in caches of weapons... The security forces have also torn down many banners supporting al-Mahdi Army as well as portraits of its leader, Moqtada al-Sadr... Many blame the British for allowing the militias to grow... The British military expressed cautious optimism at the progress. Major Tom Holloway, a spokesman, said: "The Iraqi security forces have made a real difference; this is going to be a long operation by its nature. However, rule of law is returning to the streets."Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't there been plenty of "we know how to handle foreign occupation and you don't" scolds from the UK? Not that I'm some bitter white guy clinging to my guns and Bible er anythin'...
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