ViceZilla’s Views

Things in Iraq are not going well, not well at all. Five days of fighting between Shiite militiamen and Iraqi Security forces in the area of Basra are quickly erasing security gains made earlier by coalition forces in the past five years of bloody battle. Where do we stand now that Iraq seems to be caught in a downward spiral that threatens to put the goal of peace in Iraq back to square one?

We are told that the campaign in Basra is directed by Iraqi forces, not the Americans, but the news that is coming out of Iraq seems to indicate that the Iraqi forces are failing miserably at the task. At a news briefing in Basra on Saturday, Iraq’s defense minister, Abdul-Kader Jassem al-Obeidi, conceded that the assault had not gone according to expectations. “We were surprised by a very strong resistance that made us change our plans,” he said.

Public opinion is also starting to change in war torn Basra that does not look kindly towards the American military presence. “Unfortunately we were expecting one thing but we saw something else,” said Ali Hussam, 48, a teacher, who said that after Saddam Hussein the people of Basra had hoped for peace. “But unfortunately with the presence of this new government and this democracy that was brought to us by the invader, it made us kill each other. And the war is now between us.”

With the role of the U.S. military forces being reduced to a roll of spectator so far in this conflict, with only “coalition air power” being used for air support, one has to wonder what will be left in the aftermath of this “civil uprising?”

Seeing as we are told this isn’t our fight, what role will the U.S. military have during and after this conflict? How many more lives will need to be lost before leaders on both sides of this civil war say “enough already?” How many more lives will need to be lost before the U.S. military gets dragged into the middle of this conflict, and how many more U.S. military lives will be lost because of it?

From where I’m sitting, and the news I’m reading, this “opportunity” for Iraq is a no-win situation for everybody involved. The fragile peace that existed six days ago is obviously non-existent anymore. I fail to see how this increase in violence of Iraqi killing Iraqi can bring peace to a country already embroiled in turmoil.

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Technorati Tags: Iraq, Basra, ISF, Shiite Militia, U.S. Military Role, Cease Fire, War in Iraq

Tags: War in Iraq //