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| Iraq |
| Iraqi troops to launch anti-insurgence strategy |
| 2007-01-06 |
| Iraqi forces backed by US troops will begin a neighborhood-by-neighborhood assault on militants in the capital this weekend as a first step in the new White House strategy to contain Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite death squads, key advisers to the prime minister said Friday. The first details of the new plan - a fresh bid to pacify the capital - emerged a day after US President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki spoke for nearly two hours by video conference. Both leaders were expected to detail their vision of a new strategy in the coming days. The al-Maliki aides would not address the scope of the planned new assaults nor where specifically they were planned. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #6 Glad to see the Iraqis leading this operation; after the public crucifixion already being applied to the Marines accused of those civilian murders, to you really think a lot of US Grunts want to try the hew shoes on for size? Especially with the Dems in control? I'm partial to extensive carpet bombing 24/7, but what do we have for a night attack platform, other than the F/A-18s? The 117s were retired last month or so. |
| Posted by: USN, ret. 2007-01-06 22:50 |
| #5 Besoeker - you've obviously never experienced an ARCLIGHT strike. It's not like you can bomb a neighborhood and leave the next-door neighbors alone. The average ARCLIGHT strike had a kill radius of FIVE MILES either side of center-line. Blast and shock would break eardrums and rupture blood vessels as far away as 15 miles. I was 22 miles from centerline, and I have serious hearing issues. Besides, ARCLIGHT are area denial attacks, not precision destruction, which is what we need. I'm sure the F/A-18s and F-16s could do quite a job during the day, and the F-117s could strike at night. Do it around the clock for about five days, and you won't need an ARCLIGHT strike. "Civilian casualties" would be high, but anyone in Sadr City would be in a state of shock. All without destroying downtown Baghdad or the Green Zone in the process. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-01-06 16:26 |
| #4 What say and what we do can be two very different things. For example, Saudi intelligence has informed us that there are about 3000 Iranian agents operating in Iraq. Now, if the Saudis have any more specific information, like names and addresses, that would be particularly useful in policing up such people. And yet, it's pretty hard to cast a net over 3000 without the bulk of them getting away. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-01-06 08:49 |
| #3 Back off for 24 hours, and bomb every Kill Zone in Sadr City with B-52's and turn the landscape into pea-gravel. This SHI* will end immediately! It's the only thing they understand, GIVE IT TO EM! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-01-06 01:20 |
| #2 If they don't actually do what's necessary, this will all be for naught. Again. They need to make it crystal clear to the civilians that cooperation is the only way they can be certain of seeing tomorrow. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2007-01-06 00:44 |
| #1 More hand holding. Send us a telegram if it works any better than the last time. |
| Posted by: SpecOp35 2007-01-06 00:30 |