In Iraq, the violence is creeping back
Although the narrative is that the surge has worked, violence has been gradually increasing in the last month, especially suicide attacks (Al Qaeda/Sunni insurgent)on the Sunni militias cooperating with the US and the Iraqi army.
And, this horrible detail,
I also have the broad impression that the death squad activity may be creeping back as well. Keep an eye on it.
A suicide bomber killed nine people during celebrations to mark Army Day in the eastern Baghdad suburb of Karrada on Sunday, the latest in an upsurge of suicide bombings in Iraq.
And, this horrible detail,
In the Karrada blast, Reuters television footage showed a group of soldiers dancing in a tight circle in the street, waving their AK-47 assault rifles in the air and chanting "Where is terrorism today?" shortly before the bomb exploded.
I also have the broad impression that the death squad activity may be creeping back as well. Keep an eye on it.
posted by mikevotes at
7:31 AM
4 Comments:
Last night at the debate, the Dem candidates did a pretty good job of explaining the apparent success of the surge. What they left out, tho, was how successful the ethnic violence has been to push the factions into separate enclaves, to scare thousands more out of the country altogether, and of course, in having killed thousands more.
By
Anonymous, at 9:42 AM
Bribery, airstrikes and concrete walls. Iraq has become America's West Bank.
By
Anonymous, at 11:23 AM
Abi, definitely agreed, but that's a hard argument to make in a "soft" debate format. You pretty much have to claim ethnic cleansing, and while that's definitely what's gone on, all the Dem candidates are trying not to sound shrill about Iraq.
.
By
mikevotes, at 11:35 AM
Some of us would argue that ethnic cleansing (i.e. de facto partition) was the only alternative to full-scale civil war, and if it's been achieved, that may in the long run be a good thing. The big question is, HAS anything been achieved by the surge, or will it all go to hell again when our drawdown starts in a couple of months? (I'm guessing the latter.)
Interestingly, the answer could be huge in the presidential election. If the security gains in Iraq hold steady or even increase, the Republicans (McCain especially) can pretty much neutralize Iraq as an issue. If it all heads south again, Obama's "no" vote on Iraq is going to loom pretty large; as is Hilary's dance routine on the war.
But the Democrats should not count on 2008 having the same dynamic as 2006.
By
Anonymous, at 1:35 AM
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