Allies Risk 3000 Casualties in Baghdad - Ex-General

Reuters ^ | 3-24-03

[oursacredhonor]

LONDON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led force in Iraq risks as many as 3,000 casualties in the battle for Baghdad and Washington has underestimated the number of troops needed, a top former commander from the 1991 Gulf War said on Monday.

Retired U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey, commander of the 24th Infantry Division 12 years ago, said the U.S.-led force faced "a very dicey two to three day battle" as it pushes north toward the Iraqi capital.

"We ought to be able to do it (take Baghdad)," he told the Newsnight Program on Britain's BBC Television late on Monday.

"In the process if they (the Iraqis) actually fight, and that's one of the assumptions, clearly it's going to be brutal, dangerous work and we could take, bluntly, a couple to 3,000 casualties," said McCaffrey who became one of the most senior ranking members of the U.S. military following the 1991 war.

"So if they (the Americans and British) are unwilling to face up to that, we may have a difficult time of it taking down Baghdad and Tikrit up to the north west."

McCaffrey said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had misjudged the nature of the conflict. Asked if Rumsfeld made a mistake by not sending more troops to start the offensive, McCaffrey replied: "Yes, sure. I think everybody told him that."

"I think he thought these were U.S. generals with their feet planted in World War II that didn't understand the new way of warfare," he added.

U.S. forces have advanced more than 200 miles into Iraqi territory since the start of the war and are beginning to confront an elite division of the Republican Guards deployed to defend the capital.

"So it ought to be a very dicey two to three day battle out there." McCaffrey said of the confrontation with the Republican Guards.

He said his personal view was that the invading troops would "take them (the Iraqis) apart."

"But we've never done something like this with this modest a force at such a distance from its bases," he warned.

McCaffrey, a former Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces in Latin America, served overseas for 13 years and took part in four combat tours.

He twice received the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest medal for valor in the United States.

[cactusSharp]

no newspaper or pundit, try as they may, can tell my eyes they did not see . Rummy is rock solid, his tactics the same and I know cause my eyes told me.

[qam1]

I agree, That was Hilter's mistake at Dunkirk which could be argued cost him the war.

Keep the pressure on.

[Arkinsaw]

Where would the left hook go?

I hate to even speculate. Perhaps the imbedded reporters do not see all and are not everywhere. Americans simply adore flank attacks.

[FRgal4u]

gimme a break..you must have not read the news or watch tv lately..

where are the massice surrenderings?? iraq suppose to have 300K troops - only 3,000 surrender, what happen to the rest..i doubt they all go back home...

sock and awe - who are we awe here - the picture of the firebombs is creating a PR disaster for us in the Arab world..yes, the red cross said there was only one civilian dead from the bombs..but that pic - the image of baghdad under a dresden-like firebombing is what all the arabs will remember..shock and awe should be shocking and awful...there were no defections, no increase in surrenderings after the firebombs...

happy iraqis - other than that minor news clip from swafan, we hit resistance in every town we go...there were no flowers to greet us, we get bullets instead...

all the assumptions rummy based on have proved woefully wrong...still, i hope he is right at the end..but, i firmly believe he is too drunk in his own rum to see through the fog of war...

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Casualities are inevitable. Soldiers will die, I have no doubt about it. I am not afraid of that, and I thank God for the men and women who are fighting for my country.

I am just saying that it is frustrating to hear an American openly criticize the war plan... doesn't this embolden the enemy? Doesn't the Arab world love to hear our press wail over the casualites and POW's on Sunday?

The truth of this march into Baghdad, as well as the WOT, is that if we are not careful, America can be easily divided, too fearful to face evil, and run home with our tails between our legs. I pray that we are strong enough today,when our generation is tested... than to leave it to my children and grandchildren to face, later.

Best wishes.

[Fury]

Nothing against the good general, but I'd prefer an opinion on this matter from GEN Fred Franks who commanded the Jayhawkers in Desert Storm. I believe Franks was a better thinker on the battlefield and can offer an candid assessment without the "baggage" that McCaffery (sp?) brings to the table.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Rummy is playing a very dangerous game here...he put only just enough force in the theater and yet we still have to get the 62,000 troops from the 4th mech in place (which should be in place over Turkey)...there were noises of not having enough boots on the ground before the war starts...and yet, the politicians are playing with the unrealistic timetable...Rummy is a micromanager, smart, but abrasive and love to direct all the minor details in a plan...and worst yet, he has no experience in leading men in battles...

I've been concerned since Capt Chris Seifert, from my hometown, was killed yesterday. Such a fine young man killed by a Muslim-American. I pray that this general is wrong.

[Arkinsaw]

the image of baghdad under a dresden-like firebombing is what all the arabs will remember

And thats a bad thing?

[AaronInCarolina]

We can't make a call here, but wouldn't it be great to see the ACTION from our Lord and God, and his son Jesus.

Do you remember when Jesus drove the money-changers out of the temple? Scripture says that he formed a whip out of belts and physically drove them out himself. So much for the leftists calling him a pacifist!

[Pan_Yans Wife]

That and he is NBC's expert, on the air most mornings with Katie and What's-his-name. Another reason not to watch the Today show. He makes me want to scream at the television.

[Cold Heat]

These democrats are hopeless scumbags! They will do anything to screw this pooch with public opinion. They are traitors.

[tomahawk]

I have only ONE concern: Chemical weapons. It could cause some panic.

If that happens, I say its time to change the rules of engagement and go full bore on Iraqi forces, WHEREVER they are.

[FRgal4u]

anti-semite - what the heck..I am jewish, son...

I dont care much about the paleocon buchanan has to say, but it is public knowledge that the neocons been dreaming about this iraq war long before 9/11...

I support the war, I support the war on terrorism...but the fact is wolfowitz, perle, kistol are the chicken hawks that push this idea through...

[deport]

maybe I am getting cold feet here, but the hubris, overconfidence from Rummy is what scares me the most...

---

Kinda like Bill O'Reilly said tonight..... take a break, get away from the news media reports 24/7.... He said basically the media focuses on the negative thus if you hear it long enough you lose perspective and can't see the larger picture.... It's hard to put these isolated bits from embeds together into a coherent picture as we don't see the overall info the Central Command is seeing....

JMO........

[eleni121]

...did you notice the article made absolutely no mention of his connection to the Clinton administration
OF course...very observant. No mention at all that he was used by Clinton - giving the imprssion that he is an independent professional officer offering unbiased logistical evidence. BS!

[LenS]

Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Our only casualties were a handful of US POW's in the blast area.

[fooman]

WHy was barry an ass?

I am glad that even rummy came around on the troop deployments.

IMO, I think that BArry is confusing pushing procurement envelope with the here and now.

Also, I want a confident Sec def so that the enemy fears us.

I think that rummy was naval aviator, so that puts his skills at least on par with Barry.

[kosciuszko]

I'm with you. What's really scaring me is that sand storm coming. Iraqis know how to fight in those circumstances -- or at least, they have a much better idea of how to take advantage of such weather.

What McCaffrey's saying is that it's going to be tough, really tough in the next few days. But, then again, which of our great victories weren't?

[MinuteGal]

Unfortunately, too many old soldiers don't fade away. They just move to flood the TV studios with pointers and floor maps where they can expound on their strategery theories at great length.

As a whole, they're all pretty supportive, but some are real gloom-and-doomers like McAffrey.

Leni

[BluH2o]

Retired U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey, commander of the 24th Infantry Division 12 years ago, said the U.S.-led force faced "a very dicey two to three day battle" as it pushes north toward the Iraqi capital.

McCaffrey sold his sole to the Clinton adminisration when he agreed to be drug czar for the most unethical adminisration in our countries history. He has zero credibility ...