Posted on 05/12/2008 8:15:44 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
Britain has been in charge of four provinces in southern Iraq since Saddam Hussein's downfall. While the divisional command will continue to operate under British leadership at Basra airbase, the orders of the US units will be to "get out front" and resume patrols and combat missions.
US hopes of making the whole of Iraq secure before its eventual withdrawal have been raised by what commanders see as a potential southern version of the Sahwa, or tribal awakening, which turned locals against al-Qa'eda.
Troops have been shifted from Anbar province to the Tallil airbase, Nasiriya, to assume responsibility from 550 Australian troops pulling out of the country.
According to the US assessment, the Australians followed the mistakes of the British by pulling back to "overwatch" local forces but then neglecting the security challenges in the area.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
LOL! Slam on the Wildcats.
Good. The only way to clean up Basra is to go out and confront the enemy.
And the Brits aren’t too keen on that method.
Arizona State in Tempe has a large ROTC program, and produces a lot of combat arms lieutenants. They are probably the origin of that particular slander of their rivals at the UofA.
Importantly, Tucson, home of the UofA is a Democrat enclave, while Tempe is a Republican stronghold.
WHY I CANT SAY SOME WORDS IN THIS PUBLIC
It's easy....(cue "The Rascals"...)
The British politicians arent keen, the British troops lack no courage...
We have no problem confronting the enemy, look what we have done/are doing in Helmand Province and Afghanistan.
We, the US, have no shortage of politicians who support the war effort just as long as we don’t break anything or hurt anyone’s feelings. The JAG corps will see to it that we wage a war that the DNC proud.
Distinct lack of non-anonymous sources in this atricle.
Those four provinces were handed to Iraqi Control last year. We have an overwatch role. We are hamstrung by low troops numbers, but thats cos most of our combat units are constantly rotating around Afghanistan. And we are one of very few who have been ‘going out and confronting the enemy.’ Just look at the number of Taliban we have taken out since arriving in force during ‘06.
We have 8,000 in Afghanistan. Another 4,000 in Iraq. What more needs be said?
After since your surrender to the Iranians you brits have been doing nothing but hide in your bunkers, when not running away from Basra and its surrounding area.
I wonder if the release of those sailors was made on the condition of surrendering the south of Iraq to the Iranians. Afterall you have a history of appeasement.
No matter, we have come to save you. Again.
Sorry you think that way.
We will still do our job in all aspects, training, patrolling, fighting, reconstruction, etc, regardless of if its appreciated.
BTW, have you seen the ‘ceasefire’, prisoner exchanges and reduction in military presence in the Waziristan province of Pakistan. Now that really is surrendering to ‘em! Whatever problems we have in Afghanistan, they are compounded by useless actions over the border.
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