“We’re Staying”: 8,000 Troops Storm Babil Province In New Operation
Northwestern portions of Babil Province are considered part of the “Triangle of Death”. It’s a very rural area mostly populated along the banks of the Euphrates. When I was there, it reminded me of a cross between Vietnam and ancient Biblical country. Lots of palm trees and reeds, dirt roads and villages, and dirt poor farmers. This is where the 3 soldiers were kidnapped a few months ago.
Major General Rick Lynch: “What they’re worried about is our leaving,” he said. “And our answer is: ‘We’re staying,’
We’re staying, says top US army general
New offensive to quash al-Qa’ida terrorists
A SENIOR commander launched an 8,000-troop offensive against al-Qa’ida in southern Baghdad yesterday with a warning that operations to quash Iraq’s insurgents need to be sustained at today’s levels until next spring.
US forces, under the command of Major General Rick Lynch and backed by Iraqi allies, carried out pre-dawn airborne raids on insurgent strongholds south of the capital at the start of operation Marne Avalanche. The objective is to disrupt the flow of Al Qaeda and Mahdi Army terrorists and vehicle-borne bombs into Baghdad.
Marne Avalanche is the latest in a succession of campaigns on the capital’s periphery, designed to ensure the “surge” of 28,000 additional US forces in central Iraq is not derailed by spectacular violence.
Gen Lynch made clear that commanders on the ground reject the chorus coming from those calling for withdrawal from Iraq.
The up-and-coming commander has been in charge of a key battleground, one of a handful where the surge will be won or lost, since March. He said he had identified four terrorist safe havens in his command area.
“It’s going to take us through the summer and fall to deny the enemy his sanctuaries,” he said.
“And then it’s going to take us through the first of the year and into the spring.” He said he had given local residents his word that the US military would restore order before handing over to an Iraqi force capable of defending the civilian population.
“What they’re worried about is our leaving,” he said.
“And our answer is: ‘We’re staying,’ because my order from the corps commander is that we don’t leave the battlespace until such a time as we can hand over to the Iraqi security forces.”
America’s second-ranking officer in Iraq, Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno, appealed yesterday for the military to be granted the time to pacify the country. “My assessment right now is, I need more time,” he said.
“I’m seeing some progress now. We have really just started what the Iraqis term ‘liberating’ them from al-Qa’ida.
“What I’ve got to determine now is what do I need in order to continue that progress, so that the political piece can then take hold and Iraqi security forces can then hold this for the long term.”
In northern Iraq, at least 85 people were killed by a suicide truck bomb in the divided city of Kirkuk.
Another 180 people were injured in the blast, which trapped dozens of people on a burning bus.
Kirkuk has seen tensions across its four-sided ethnic divide ahead of a referendum on its future provincial status. (©Daily Telegraph, London)
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Congress isn’t listening General. They’re too busy palying with their red wagons and throwing tantrums.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:33 amI just read this. I’m really pissed off right now.
http://www.military.com/veterans-report/bigger-military-raise-better-benefits-hit?ESRC=vr.nl
I feel like the country treats our military personnel like second-class citizens. It is always, “Support the troops!” on the fucking bumper stickers but in the end both parties shit all over them.
The politicians would rather fund projects building bridges to no where or fund non-relevant studies on the mating habits of grubs rather than give one red cent to the military personnel and their families. Just as long as they keep their fat cat friends happy so they can set up some kind of kick-back.
We all know the Dems hate the military. I remember serving when Clinton was president. Now, Bush and the other millionaires in the Whitehouse talk a big game of supporting the troops and then they “strongly oppose” giving them a 3.5% pay raise as opposed to a 3% and they also oppose helping them get a discount on prescription drugs but they’ll support “The good people who come here to do jobs Americans won’t do.”
They also oppose giving benefits to people who had to retire prior to their full 20 years of service due to being wounded in combat but they make sure that most nations in the world, even those who hate us, get billions in aid while your average person in the military lives close to poverty.
It is shit like this that makes people who would have stayed in for the full 20 get out early. What kind of financial security can you provide your family when you make less than somebody working at Wal-Mart? If you get wounded, they no longer need you, it is “thank you for your service, good bye”.
It disgusts me. God forbid if you get seriously wounded and require years of follow-up treatment. I’ve stood in line for hours with my dad at the VA hospital so he could receive sub-standard treatment and get attitude from asshole doc’s who could care less about him and he is just old. Imagine if you were one of the thousands with a brain injury or something like that?
If it were up to me, I would change the laws to say that you have to serve in the military before you get to be a citizen with the right to vote and only citizens could be voted into public office.
I don’t think that the sheeple, with their heads up their asses, watching non-stop trash on their boobtubes while the world burns down around them understand or even want to understand the seriousness of the situation we face in the world today; nor do they care in many cases and they damn sure don’t care about the people keeping them free.
Ok, I’m off my soapbox. But seriously, read that article and right your representatives. We need to get behind this and make our voices heard.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:48 amSorry, here is a better link to that article:
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,142117,00.html
July 17th, 2007 at 5:50 amUnfortunately I doubt the Congress would listen to anyone but the anti-war crowd. Also, they’re too busy holding slumber parties ’cause thats all they can do to “pressure” more Republicans into giving in.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:03 am