Lynch: US 'surge' tipped scales in Iraq

[Barrett808]

Source: Associated Press

Lynch: US 'surge' tipped scales in Iraq
By CHRIS TOMLINSON, Associated Press Writer
Sat Feb 2, 8:04 AM ET

BAGHDAD - Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch has spent years thinking about the war in Iraq, both as a senior strategist in 2005 and now as a division commander. He has seen strategies, missions and buzzwords come and go, but he now believes U.S. commanders finally have a feel for the battlefield.

Two years ago, U.S. forces thought the best way to help Iraq was to hand over the country as soon as possible, he said in an Associated Press interview. From 2005-2006 Lynch was in charge of communications and convincing Sunni leaders to support the new government.

"When we were doing all of our planning back then, we were convinced we could have a gradual withdrawal of coalition forces and the Iraqi security forces would stand up," the general said at the headquarters of the 3rd Infantry Division in Baghdad on Friday.

Then came the February 2006 destruction of the Golden Mosque, a site revered by Shiites, which set off weeks of horrific sectarian violence. Two suicide bombers killed 99 people in Baghdad on Friday, but there was no indication the attacks were connected to the anniversary of the mosque attack, observed on Friday.

"Everything changed," Lynch said. "The mission changed from transition to securing the population. ... The surge gave us the combat power to take the fight to the enemy," Lynch said. He cited a Jan. 10 battle in Arab Jabour where U.S. bombers dropped 40,000 pounds of bombs in 10 minutes to clear an insurgent stronghold.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080202/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_lynch_interview

---

Interesting that the surge "success" is attributed to increased air strikes.

[msongs]

1. ok fine, the surge WORKED. can we bring the troops home NOW? nt

[liberal1973]

2. The surge has not worked.

Nice try though with the propaganda.

[liberalsoldier5]

14. Actually it has worked. That's just a fact.

What we need to do now is what we should have done after Saddam was hung or, better yet, after we killed Zarqawi. Declare "victory", and then get the fuck out.

[laconicsax]

15. How did it work exactly?

The whole point of the surge was to create security in Baghdad so the Iraqi government could get their shit together.

Security wasn't created, (77 killed today) political space wasn't created, and Iraqi government is still a mess (link).

Mission Accomplished!

[zonmoy]

21. it probably worked to hide more theft from the iraqi and american people.

and to make sure that we keep iraq as a colony till the empire totally collapses.

[PunkPop]

20. "after Saddam was hung or, better yet, after we killed Zarqawi."??

That's weak. They were both boogeymen created by Bushco and to even hint their demise was justification for this clusterfuck is totally lame.

[SquireJons]

23. Um, no... the surge as not worked.

But, then again it was never intended to be anything more than propaganda. I suppose it depends somewhat on what your definition of "worked" is. If it means a temporary reduction in violence against civilians in the capital, then yes. But that is a very limited definition of success. There is no workable government, no army, no police, and no infrastructure. The number of daily attacks around the country are still in the hundreds. U.S. casualties are going up again because we have decided to leave the fortified bases for a few months, and the Kurds are morphing into a terrorist sub-state.

Quite frankly, I don't want these idiots to "fix' anything else. I just want them to leave.

[sendero]

24. No it didn't..

... you are severely misinformed like most Americans. The "surge" merely took credit for what was already happening.

The idea that in such a situation a 15% or so increase in troop strength is meaningful, well you figure it out.

[Skittles]

3. Skittles: Lynch is a bush whore

:puke:

[Hissyspit]

4. Bullshit. Anyone here planning on vacationing in Iraq anytime soon?

[Wizard777]

5. The surge didn't work. It's the cease fire with Sadr's mahdi malitia.

They are about to drop that. So the violence will return to precease fire levels.

[Barrett808]

6. And rebranding Sunni "terrorists" as "awakening councils"

Then funneling cash and weapons to them.

[two gun sid]

7. The purpose of the surge was to tamp down the violence...

and allow the Iraqi pols to reach an agreement on governing Iraq themselves. That has not happened. The surge is a failure. And as for the recent bombing not being connected to the anniversary of the Golden Mosque attack, I say bullshit. They don't know that. They can't know that yet.

[kevinmc]

8. Iraq Benchmark Report Card - One Year After the Surge

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/01/benchmark.html


Total Benchmarks: 3 of 18 Accomplished


On the one year anniversary of President Bush’s State of the Union address justifying his "New Way Forward" in Iraq, it is clear that the surge has failed to meet its objectives. One year ago, the president pledged that “America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced." Despite the fact that the Iraqi government has only met three of the 18 benchmarks laid out last year, an end to U.S. military and financial commitment is nowhere in sight.

The purpose of the surge was to provide the “breathing space” for political reconciliation to occur. Yet over one year later, political progress has been scant, and what progress has been made is not durable. The Iraqis have not made the difficult political compromises necessary for national reconciliation, and an indefinite U.S. presence in the region will not inspire them to do so. Despite the best efforts of our military men and women in creating a temporary lull in violence, substantial advancement toward a sustainable and independent Iraq has not been made.

In order to motivate Iraq’s political leaders, the United States must set a date certain for withdrawal. Only then will the Iraqis make the difficult political compromises necessary for national reconciliation. While redeploying our forces over the next 10-12 months, the United States must initiate a diplomatic surge to ensure that all of Iraq’s neighbors are involved constructively in Iraq’s future. Only by implementing a Strategic Reset in Iraq will the United States be able to take control of its own national security interests in the country and the greater Middle East................


Government Benchmarks: 2 of 8 Accomplished

1. Perform constitutional review. Unmet

2. Enact de-Ba’athification reform. Partial

4. Form semi-autonomous regions. Unmet

5. Hold provincial elections. Unmet

6. Address amnesty. Unmet

8. Establish support for Baghdad Security Plan. Met

16. Ensure minority rights in Iraqi legislature. Met

18. Keep Iraqi Security Forces free from partisan interference. Unmet

Security Benchmarks: 1 of 8 Accomplished

7. Disarm militias. Unmet

9. Provide military support in Baghdad. Partial

10. Empower Iraqi Security Forces. Partial

11. Ensure impartial law enforcement. Unmet

12. Establist support for Baghdad Security Plan by Maliki government. Unmet

13. Reduce sectarian violence. Partial

14. Establish neighborhood security in Baghdad. Met

15. Increase independent Iraqi Security Focres. Unmet

Economic Benchmarks: 0 of 2 Accomplished

3. Implement oil legislation. Unmet

17. Distribute Iraqi resources equitably. Partial

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/01/benchmark.html

[ThoughtCriminal]

9. #14 is certainly delusional

14. Establish neighborhood security in Baghdad. Met ??????????

[Barrett808]

10. If you consider ethinically cleansed neighborhoods to be "secure," then yes

"It's the peace of the grave," as one Fallujah resident said a year or two back.

[TomInTib]

11. It doesn't take an extra 30K troops to drop 20 tons of bombs in 10 minutes.

They are simply grasping at straws, anything to prop up this bs.

[Aviation Pro]

26. That's right...

...it takes one sortie from one B-1 to unleash twenty 2,000 lb bombs. On, and congratulations, U.S.A.F. you just expended $40,000,000 dollars in ten minutes to kill a bunch of rag-tag criminals with AK-47s.

[ananda]

12. Utter bullshit

Actually, the Sunnis allowed themselves to be
bought for a while.

[LynnTheDem]

13. No it didn't. But we killed lots more people & made lots more enemies.

That is the republican goal, isn't it?

[jody]

16. Ethnic cleansing by Iraqi militia and insurgents have essentially been completed. Attacks now are

shifting to new patterns and no one can predict the outcome that could include civil war between Shia and Sunni forces with Kurds as spectators from their northern strongholds.

[MarinCoUSA]

17. Like Hell! The surge of 40000 lbs of bombs in the capital is very convincing.

Tipped the scales? Yeah, sure. As in "tipped the scales so they fall back onto your eyes. OK now, move along. Nothing to see."

1 million dead in Iraq. Millions displaced. The country is ruined. Little water and electricity in Baghdad. Democratic leaders impotent to change course -whatever that may be. And because less American troops are dying now this is the measure of success. Truly sickening.

[apocalypsehow]

18. I don't think it has worked

According to things I've read, we're bribing a lot of people not to attack us anymore. So some violence has gone down. But it hasn't "worked" the way the Bush admin is trying to tell us. And what happens once the bribe money stops flowing? This entire war is a travesty.

[McCamy Taylor]

19. Expect more of same from Pentagon as it campaigns for McCain. NBC will air it all.

[tabasco]

22. Republicans tend to be very short-sighted.

This would include the ass-kissing do-boy Rick Lynch.

Baghdad is in chaos, and the US has failed to create law and order.

The puppet government and everything we have installed will evaporate the minute our military departs.

[Aviation Pro]

25. The only thing the "escalation" did....

...was remove the story from the front page. The second the troop levels drop is the second the insurgents come out of their hidey-holes and begin anew.

[dkofos]

27. Just six more months!!