Article

2008-04-20 Iraq

Battle to retake Basra was 'complete disaster'

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Posted by tipper 2008-04-20 04:22|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 Battle to retake Basra was 'complete disaster'

and I own a tiny violin....

Posted by RD">RD 2008-04-20 05:10|| 2008-04-20 05:10|| Front Page Top

#2 If it was a complete disaster I suppose he can explian why it was Sadr not the government who asked for a truce

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-04-20 06:22|| 2008-04-20 06:22|| Front Page Top

#3 They captured his headquarters yesterday. How disastrous is that?

Posted by Grunter 2008-04-20 06:40|| 2008-04-20 06:40|| Front Page Top

#4 British Army Staff have always blamed the natives. A little racist thing that has worked since the empire to justify themselves. Retired colonel small talk at the club.

Posted by Skunky Glins 5***">Skunky Glins 5*** 2008-04-20 07:14|| 2008-04-20 07:14|| Front Page Top

#5 "The net effect of all of this is that the British Army will be forced to remain here for many months longer."

All part of my plan.

Posted by Karl Rove 2008-04-20 07:47|| 2008-04-20 07:47|| Front Page Top

#6 Rather breathless isn't it?

Posted by George Smiley 2008-04-20 08:04|| 2008-04-20 08:04|| Front Page Top

#7 Basra was a disaster, the reds have Oklahoma and it's fucking tea time people! Move along! Nothing to see here, you twit!

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2008-04-20 08:25|| 2008-04-20 08:25|| Front Page Top

#8 Retired colonel small talk at the club.

Didn't Commander McBragg have a British accent? "Did I ever tell you about the time I was..."

Posted by M. Murcek">M. Murcek 2008-04-20 09:01|| 2008-04-20 09:01|| Front Page Top

#9 Failure is inevitable where hearts-and-minds considerations limit military operations. Wherever you can use tanks against lightly armed terrorists, the enemy can be scattered at will and then mopped up. If rules of engagement prohibit dropping 500 pounders on roadblocks, you give the enemy an open invitation to resist vigorously.

I didn't comment on videos of Iraq soldiers - paid zombies - handing over their weapons to al-Sadrites, because those outrages were not confirmed. They are confirmed.

Who failed? Iraqis didn't deliver; write them off. That country was never anything but a demographic dog's breakfast, with oil fields that Anglo-Americans discovered and developed in either non-populated or peasant populated areas. Muslims can't recognize secular sovereignties; we should reciprocate.

Posted by McZoid 2008-04-20 20:03|| 2008-04-20 20:03|| Front Page Top

#10 Iraqis didn't deliver; write them off.

Put your resume in. I'm sure the Pentagon will hire you in a heartbeat.

Posted by Pappy 2008-04-20 21:05|| 2008-04-20 21:05|| Front Page Top

#11 McZoid - willful suspension of reality? Jeebus

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-04-20 21:28|| 2008-04-20 21:28|| Front Page Top

#12 Iraqis didn't deliver; write them off.

I have 20,000 IA troops, 15,000 Americans and 800 dead Al-Sadar militia men that would disagree with you. Are they up to western standards? No. Completely overhauling 1600 years of ass-clown behavior and tribal issues will take a long, long time. However, they are improving rapidly and I would be willing to bet that they are more than a match for any Arab force in the ME, with possible exceptions of the Turks. The battle proved that Iran lost the proxy war and is washing their hands of Sadar. Oh they will still try to damage the US as long as they can, but organized resistance will pretty much end since they have no more supporters alive/non-arrested/able to help anymore.

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2008-04-20 22:25|| 2008-04-20 22:25|| Front Page Top

#13 The Iraqis are in the process of delivering, McZoid. Perhaps not as well as certain longer established armies might have done, nor perfectly, but they are certainly meeting the objectives of blooding new units, shaking out those in the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police who, while wearing the uniform and taking the paycheck, are nonetheless unsuited -- for O! so many reasons -- to do so, and winning hearts and minds in a region that has been under the thumbs of gangsters, smugglers and Iran-lovers.

Posted by trailing wife ">trailing wife 2008-04-20 22:28|| 2008-04-20 22:28|| Front Page Top

#14 Every time a new unit goes into the field it is looney toons and that is not limited to Iraqi army units.
In VN, just about everytime a new division, brigade or regiment came into town they got their noses blooded before they learned life in real combat.
So we had a unit crumble under poor leadership and incomplete training, that is no reason to paint every Iraqi Army unit as incompetent or cowardly. Much like some libs like to paint all whites as racists because of a few, stereotyping an entire army because of an ALLEDGED failure is as racist as anything I have read in a long time.
It strikes me as odd that the MSM wants us out of Iraq but tries to disparage our efforts to make Iraq self sufficient which essentially says we need to stay......or does that mean we cut and run no matter what........most of the libs are cowardly gutless little chickens***s who probably whined and sniveled when they were kids about dodge ball and working up a sweat at badmiton

Posted by Imperial Sock Puppet 2008-04-20 23:13|| 2008-04-20 23:13|| Front Page Top

23:59 Hillary Clinto
23:49 James Carville
23:41 James Carville
23:36 James Carville
23:35 SteveS
23:34 James Carville
23:33 Bill Clinton
23:32 Bill Clinton
23:31 Terry MacAuliffe
23:29 Imperial Sock Puppet
23:25 RD
23:24 DarthVader
23:23 Imperial Sock Puppet
23:16 RD
23:13 Imperial Sock Puppet
23:13 Old Patriot
23:07 RD
23:03 Imperial Sock Puppet
22:56 M. Murcek
22:56 Eric Jablow
22:54 Imperial Sock Puppet
22:53 bigjim-ky
22:51 bigjim-ky
22:46 bigjim-ky