The US military confirms it is arming Sunni militants in Baghdad
The NYTimes has a story confirming that the US military is arming Sunni militants in Baghdad in an effort to foment their fight with Al Qaeda. (I would recommend Saturday's WaPo story on the topic.)
The open question on this strategy is what happens after these groups have been armed, trained, and worked with US units and tactics. The Anbar "coalition" on which this Baghdad strategy is modelled is already beginning to come apart.
The open question on this strategy is what happens after these groups have been armed, trained, and worked with US units and tactics. The Anbar "coalition" on which this Baghdad strategy is modelled is already beginning to come apart.
posted by mikevotes at
8:37 AM
6 Comments:
Hey. You know who else we armed to fight our enemies? Osama and his mujahideen.
Yeah. This'll turn out juuuust fine.
By
-epm, at 11:44 AM
Not an exact parallel in the level of support and such, but definitely a precedent.
(And I'm glad you found your way down to that Albania post. As it was a thoughtful criticism, I thought it deserved the thoughtful response you offered.)
By
mikevotes, at 2:09 PM
The larger point here -- as with the mujahideen -- is that once we arm the enemy of our enemy, those weapons often trickle into a shadowy world of unintended consequences and are (more often than not?) turned against us when fickle fortunes shift.
(The raw thought-dumps I do in blogging often result in off-base conclusions. I spew out a stream of consciousness and click publish with little self editing. This doesn't mean I'm incapable of thought, nor devoid of humility, it's just that my blog style often can give that impression.
I appreciate having my faults illuminated by informed responses and, hopefully, am man enough to admit my shortcomings.)
By
-epm, at 3:19 PM
I'm actually as concerned that the Sunnis are getting an up close look at how the US forces operate.
And, I know how you comment. No need for explanation to me at this point, but I doubted that you meant the offense taken, so I wanted to make sure you saw it if you wanted the opportunity of a response.
By
mikevotes, at 4:04 PM
I think we can be reasonably sure that whatever deal the US works out with Sunni militants Al Quaida will know about it within five minutes.
By
Anonymous, at 11:01 PM
Oh yeah.
That's a really good point that's being left out of this.
This is hardly a matter of black and white loyalties. It's a powerstruggle within an organization.
By
mikevotes, at 11:04 AM
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