Subject: [Homestead] The Iraq war goes badly, will continue to do so.
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 09:00:31 -0500
The Iraq war goes badly, will continue to do so---because El Estupido
hasn't got enough boots on the ground, or eyes in the sky.---not in
Baghdad, not in the Sunni Triangle, and not along the Syrian, Iranian or
any other Iraqi border---an open invitation to the black hats who
greatly outnumber Americans and a pathetic few hundred "coalition"
forces Bush assembled for propaganda purposes. If an incompetent
"Commander-In-Chief" chooses to lose a war, he loses it---it is that simple
Iraqi intelligence offers insights into insurgency
January 10, 2005
It didn't get much play here, but if what the head of Iraq's internal
intelligence services told foreign media is correct, we suddenly have a
much better idea of why the United States is having such a hard time
quelling the chaos in Iraq.
And more questions about both U.S. estimates of the size of the
opposition, and our ability to control the borders with Syria and Iran.
According to an Associated Press report, Gen. Muhammad Abdullah Shahwani
told an Arabic newspaper last week that there are up to 30,000 trained
terrorists operating against U.S. forces, supported by another 200,000
people.
He told the Times of London that "the resistance is bigger than the U.S.
military in Iraq. I think the resistance is more than 200,000 people."
He pegged the number of trained insurgents at 40,000 or more.
Either version of the story helps explain the size, tenacity and
effectiveness of the insurgency. U.S. troops have their hands full
protecting themselves, much less ensuring security for the rest of Iraq.
The numbers also reflect badly on U.S. officials who for so long kept
insisting that the insurgency was the result of a small cadre of foreign
fighters leading a few thousand disaffected Iraqis.
What Shahwani says about U.S. inability to seal Iraq's border -- long a
complaint of critics -- is reinforced by what the general says.
Shahwani says the insurgency is being directed by former members of
Saddam Hussein's regime now working out of Syria and moving easily back
and forth across the border. This might explain increasing U.S. demands
that Syria seal its border with Iraq, while indicating American forces'
inability to seal it.
Iran is also fingered as meddling in Iraq, with both the U.S. and Iraq
apparently unable to prevent it.
"The problems are still coming from these two countries because the
borders are open and the support is going on to serve their interests,"
he said.
Shahwani was quoted as saying the insurgency is due in part to the fact
"People are fed up after two years without improvement. People are fed
up with no security, no electricity -- people feel they have to do
something."
Still, using the optimism that appears to animate the Bush
administration, Shahwani said he expects the "attacks will recede and
end in one year." Of course, he also speculated that the attacks could
increase, depending on the outcome of the elections scheduled for Jan. 30.