Sunday, February 4, 2007
Baghdad: The View from the Troops
Soldiers in Iraq view troop surge as a lost cause is a news article discussing the situation in Baghdad with the troops actually doing the patrolling. The junior officers are pessimistic, the senior officers are optimistic. Generally, the junior officers are the ones closer to the action. Their view: the much vaunted "surge" might temporarily reduce violence, but it will rapidly come back as soon as troop levels are reduced. I think they are correct. I believe the Bush administration knows this as well, but a temporary reduction in violence might allow them to "kick the can down the road" to the next administration.
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2 comments:
This is the case in Iraq as well as Afghanistan. Speaking from personal experience, the guys with boots on the ground have a much different view and opinion on the war than does the "brass" who sit in air conditioned buildings on large bases. They really need to talk to the people who are the ones who have to actually fight this war and that's the guys with boots on the ground, face to face combat day in and day out.
This does seem to be a recurring problem in warfare. We never seem to learn, do we.
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