Stop This Horseshit: Don't Send the 3rd Armored Cavalry to Iraq

I got the link for the following article from a copy at uruknet.info, the second article is from a link in the following one, and I'll quote both in full, except that they both have links to supporting articles and I'm not reproducing those links.

"Odierno Raises Prospect of US Troops ‘Returning’ to Iraq
Insists US Will Consider Staying Past 2011"

by Jason Ditz, August 22, 2010

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/08/22/odierno-raises-prospect-of-us-troops-...

Though the Obama Administration’s claims that the war in Iraq is “over” is a myth to begin with, top US Commander in Iraq Gen. Ray Odierno today detailed the possibility of US forces “returning” to Iraq in larger numbers.

Odierno insists this would “only” happen if Iraq’s security forces suffer a complete failure in the ability to provide security in Iraq. And while Odierno insists “we don’t see that happening,” the reality on the ground makes this all the more plausible.

Locals are already getting fed up with the Iraqi Army’s inability to provide security, and that is with 52,000-plus US troops on the ground helping them out. July saw the worst death toll for Iraqi civilians in over two years, and attacks have continued apace in August.

Odierno added that he was certain the US would consider staying in Iraq beyond 2011 if asked by the Iraqi government. But clearly as the situation worsens on the ground the question of spinning the drawdown as the “end” of the war will transition more into the question of “reinvading” Iraq, an invasion which will no doubt depend largely on America’s ability to spare large numbers of additional troops as it continues to escalate the war in Afghanistan.

"Locals Slam Security Forces in Wake of Baghdad Attack
Massive Attack at Army Recruitment Center Damages Credibility"

by Jason Ditz, August 17, 2010

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/08/17/locals-slam-security-forces-in-wake-o...

Iraqis are still reeling from the latest in a long line of massive suicide attacks today, after a pre-dawn attack on a Baghdad Army Recruitment center left at least 61 killed and 125 others wounded.

The attack has sparked public condemnation, not so much against the militants but against the Iraqi Army, which promises massive security gains but can’t even protect its own recruitment centers.

“We were promised security in this country, but we were cheated,” one local was quoted as saying. Others expressed frustration at the “empty” promises of the government security forces.

July was the deadliest month in over two years in Iraq, and violence has been increasing more or less steadily throughout the year. Despite the massive death tolls US officials shrugged off today’s killings and insisted that “progress” was being made.

To get the U.S. to finally withdraw from Iraq and really stop the war on Iraq, people clearly will have to be willing to do more than mildly protest or demonstrate, as David Swanson says is needed.

Hopefully, Iraqi Resistance is not responsible for these violent actions in Iraq this summer. Such actions will cause many victims and for the U.S. staying in Iraq for a very long time. Iraqis need to try to resolve their disagreements in ways that won't be unjust and won't cause the U.S. to stay, but I'm not certain that these latest violent attacks were actually committed by any Iraqi Resistance forces. It's possible that it's not them. "Salvador Option" type operations were committed during the war on Iraq and these weren't committed by Iraqi Resistance. We're too far away to be able to know who's responsible and locals often or usually don't know who's responsible. The only thing we all know is that there've been violent actions and that this always prolongs U.S. presence.

But there's evidence that "Salvador Option" type operations were committed during this war in or on Iraq. And every time the U.S. talks about draw-down, then violent actions erupt. That's not profitable or beneficial for Iraqis, but it is for western ruling elites. It's essential to carefully keep in mind that violent actions in Iraq are not always due to Iraqi Resistance or real sectarian fighting. It hasn't always been and there likely will be more actions of this kind.

Maybe the latest acts of violence were all committed by some Iraqi Resistance forces or groups, persons, but we don't know this. We don't really know who's responsible.

Two UK, SAS soldiers were caught in the process of conducting "Salvador Option", black covert ops in Iraq in, I believe, September 2006, and they certainly weren't the first two to do or try to do this, and probably weren't the last. There's a lot of hell with such wars.

Salvador Option, Operation Phoenix, Gladio, and so on. Remember. The ruling elites certainly do.