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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Lighter force to patrol Baghdad |
| 2004-02-09 |
| I see that someone at the Pentagon is finally listening to me: The U.S. Army division taking command of Baghdad in April will be a more mobile, less obtrusive force, tasked with patrolling a larger area with fewer troops, military officials said Monday. The 1st Cavalry, which takes over authority of Baghdad from the 1st Armored Division on April 15, will rely on armored humvees rather than tanks and fighting vehicles, Col. Mike Formica said Monday. The 1st Cavalry will have fewer troops, but will be responsible for a wider area than the 1st Armored Division, said Brig. Gen. Mark Hertling. The new jurisdiction also covers Baghdad, but extends west and north of the city as well, Hertling said. "It was a conscious decision by the part of the Army to take what was an armored brigade combat team and transform us into a motorized brigade combat team," Formica said. "The difference is we will be much more mobile and less obtrusive in many cases." You could be more less obtrusive if you get out of Baghdad altogether. U.S. officials have long talked of the need to make the Army less visible and less obtrusive, particularly in the capital. Part of the aim is to cut down on what are seen as "attacks of opportunity" against U.S. soldiers and to allow the Iraqi police and security forces to fill the gap. That’s what I have been saying all along. U.S. officials say Baghdad still needs about 10,000 more police officers. The city, which is the size of Los Angeles, has 9,000 trained police officers, Hertling said. Despite regular attacks, the military has made significant gains against improvised explosive devices -- home-made bombs that have been the weapons of choice against U.S. soldiers. In January, troops found and defused more bombs than were detonated, Hertling said. I’ve always claimed that if US troops are not engaged in active combat, piling up dead jihadis, then they should get out of the way. The benefit is that once the jihadis start booming regular Iraqis, they will be seen for the terrorists they really are. If a US soldier is no longer the target, it’s kinda hard to call it an insurgency. |
| Posted by:Rafael |
| #3 Not to worry Jim K point taken. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-9 3:02:00 PM |
| #2 Woops, reply to anon posted in the wrong place. Sorry. |
| Posted by: Jim K 2004-2-9 1:40:37 PM |
| #1 Hey Anon ... on your millions of deaths ... Do a quick internet search on civilian deaths. Hiroshima deaths as of 1950 200,000, Nagasaki 140,000, Nicaragua 1981-90, 15,000, Iraq current, 9,000 plus. Millions? I think not. |
| Posted by: Jim K 2004-2-9 1:38:09 PM |