Vast and Trunkless Legs of Stone
After yesterday’s incidents in Basra, even the Telegraph reports that
This summer, soldiers were able to patrol the city in relative safety. But security has deteriorated so badly that the Army has switched from lightly armed Land Rovers to the tank-like Warriors.
Although British troops and Iraqi security forces supposedly work together, in Basra the relationship has soured. Soldiers have been told not to stop if challenged while working under-cover, as insurgents often masquerade as police officers.
The Brits blame Iran. Because it couldn’t be anything they themselves did, nor could it be the Iraqis. The Telegraph quotes a local who is pro-Brit, and there are probably a number of them. We saw through the lens of the Vincent murder case how Basra governance has managed to combine the corruption of a port city with the puritanical fervor of the Holy City of Qom. The opinion of disgruntled locals, though, doesn’t change the fact that the war was, in practice, the process of installing their present tormenters in power.
Comment by Frank —
September 20, 2005 @ 10:56 am
Evidently in addition to firing on civilians these SAS guys also had a car full of explosives.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/19/content_3514065.htm
Comment by Jim Henley —
September 20, 2005 @ 11:06 am
Ah, believe corrupt Basra police, or self-serving British military spokesman.
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Not an appealing dilemma.
Comment by Nell —
September 20, 2005 @ 12:54 pm
I’ve never been more sick at heart, and it’s only going to get worse. There is absolutely nothing useful that U.S. or British troops are doing or can do in Iraq, not to mention the tens of thousands of private military.
But not a single politician will stand up for getting out NOW, and the Sept 24th march is not going to be big, broad, or focused enough to create the political space for that to happen anytime soon. It’s going to be smallish and marginal — premarginalized by UfPJ caving in to ANSWER to make it a joint demo, further weakened by Katrina.
Comment by Ken Layne —
September 20, 2005 @ 1:24 pm
Jim: That comment you left on Reason about this Basra clusterfuck:
“Michael Young says there was a tunnel under the two Brits at the shootout, so it must have been Syria.”
… was the funniest thing I’ve read all day. *Almost* lost a mouthful of coffee over that one. But not so funny when the Michael Youngs are apparently writing the script for the UK’s MoD, too … jesus.
Comment by Jim Henley —
September 20, 2005 @ 1:48 pm
Aww, you’re just saying that because I finally bought Fought Down.
Comment by Rob Hansen —
September 20, 2005 @ 4:41 pm
This whole incident has certainly given the lie to any belief that the Brits in Basra were somehow doing a better job of winning hearts and minds than the Americans in Baghdad, yes indeedy.
When we both eventually cut and run, hundreds of billions of dollars and hundreds allied lives are going to have been spent to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in Iraq, allied to Iran. Then again, many of those billions funnelled into Iraq will have been funnelled straight back to companies like Halliburton, so from the pov of the Bushies it’s not all bad news.
Comment by Frank —
September 22, 2005 @ 2:14 am
I just can’t let go of this. Rita is already up to 5 and less than half-way across the Gulf, but even if Rita gives us $5/gallon gas this story still seems more important.
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I’m not sure how other people feel, but I’m usually against copkillers. I think this incident has to look just incredibly bad to the average Iraqi. I mean Abu Graib bad or worse. Not just because the appearance of a black ops false flag operation, but also because the way the jailbreak was conducted rubs their faces in their own lack of sovreignty.
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If the whole south rises in revolt can we even get our soldiers out of Iraq alive?
Comment by Jim Henley —
September 22, 2005 @ 6:47 am
Frank, in answer to the last Q, I think that’s not just your and my nightmare, but the Pentagon’s, and has been since April 2004.
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Now, some perspective on the Undercover Brit story. Oops. That’s an item in itself.
Comment by Gavin —
September 23, 2005 @ 11:27 am
I don’t think a revolt in any area could keep the US military from leaving. I presume Westpoint is not too arrogant, to teach officers to conduct a withdrawal under fire. Their military superiority would be sufficiently great, in concentration, to defend convoys; even if, in distribution, they cannot control the whole region.
Comment by Frank —
September 23, 2005 @ 4:49 pm
Gavin- You are probably right. My major concern would be if we have the needed stockpiles of fuel prepared to get out. The US army uses incredible amounts of gas and avgas for that kind of mass movement.