Iraqi troops working in cahoots with insurgents to kill U.S. troops

[kurth]

In Iraqi Town, Trainees Are Also Suspects
U.S. Troops Wary After Incidents Suggest Betrayal
By Jonathan Finer
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, April 29, 2006; A01

HAWIJAH, Iraq -- After midnight on a bare stretch of highway near this ramshackle town last week, Staff Sgt. Jason Hoover saw what looked like a fishing line strung across the road and ordered his Humvee to a screeching halt. The cord was connected to an old, Russian artillery shell half-buried in the earthen shoulder and rigged to activate with a firm tug. Hoover traced its path nearly a half-mile though a plowed field, over another highway, and across a canal, where he found four Iraqi infrastructure policemen who were supposed to be guarding an oil pipeline. They said they had no idea what the cord was doing there.

"There's two kinds of Iraqis here, the ones who help us and the ones who shoot us, and there's an awful lot of 'em doing both," said Hoover, 26, of Newark, Ohio. In a town where the local population is hostile to the American presence in Iraq, U.S. soldiers have developed a deep distrust of their Iraqi counterparts following a slew of incidents that suggest the troops they are training are cooperating with their enemies.

The top local Iraqi army commander here was sent to Abu Ghraib prison in November, accused of tipping off insurgents about the routes taken by American convoys. Earlier this month, a U.S. sniper team caught 14 policemen placing roadside bombs in the nearby town of Riyadh. More than 60 other police officers are named on a watch list of suspected insurgent collaborators, according to U.S. military policemen who train them. And last week a raging fire erupted from a sabotaged oil pipeline 50 feet from a police checkpoint, covering the sky with a blanket of black smoke.

Staff Sgt. Ryan Horton, 28, a military policeman from Dallas, said he gives Iraqi officers just minutes' notice when bringing them on a mission, and never tells them exactly where they will be going to prevent them from tipping off insurgents. "I've seen them laughing when we come back in with a vehicle destroyed by a bomb," he said. "I've seen them stand 10 feet away and do nothing but watch when we are in the middle of a firefight." ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/28/AR2006042802244.html

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Get our troops home. Just leave that shithole. Fuck Iraq.

[Roland99]

1. What's Arabic for "Wolverines!"?

[Kagemusha]

13. Mujahadeen

nt

[NNN0LHI]

24. Iraq's Comparisons to Post-World War II are False

http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2006/04/24/p7798

In the past three years the Bush administration has vigorously made comparisons between reconstruction in Iraq and post-World War II Germany and Japan. Many of the administration’s analogies have been forced, at best. A variety of historians, political scientists, and even former government officials have suggested that the comparisons are rather tenuous. But a new report by the Congressional Research Service has essentially demolished the administration’s analogies.

Condoleeza Rice, as National Security Advisor, gave a speech to the American Legion convention in 2003 in which she made comparisons between Iraq and German reconstruction. She cautioned, “There is an understandable tendency to look back on America’s experience in postwar Germany and see only the successes, 1945 through 1947 was an especially challenging period. Germany was not immediately stable. SS officers engaged in sabotage and attacked both coalition forces and those locals cooperating with them – much like today’s Baathist.”

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld went even farther at the convention. He told the audience, “Nazi regime remnants…plotted sabotage of factories, power plants, rail lines. They blew up police stations and government buildings. Does this sound familiar?” The only problem with these comparisons is that they’re false. The Congressional Research Service (CRS), which acts as the nonpartisan public policy research office of Congress, notes in a new report comparing the occupation of Iraq with that of Germany and Japan, “Iraq faces an insurgency that deliberately sabotages the economy and reconstruction efforts, whereas there were no resistance movements in either Germany or Japan.”

In fact, to say that there were no organized resistance movements in post-World War II Germany and Japan is an understatement. Former Ambassador James Dobbins, along with the RAND Corporation, authored a study entitled America’s Role in Nation-Building: From Germany to Iraq, which determined that there was not a single post-war American combat casualty in Germany or Japan.

[Roland99]

28. I was referring to that Sir Lawrence Swayze flick....Red Dawn

IMO, the insurgents aren't acting any differently than we would be had we been invaded and occupied.

[Erika]

2. And why are we there?

If a country wishes independence, they can achieve it.
See www.icasualties.org for the facts and truth.

[iconoclastic cat]

3. Just wait to see what they do if Bush hits Iran.

What a fucking mess.

[Erika]

5. We have neither the money, the troops, or the will

for another empire escapade by W. It's not there.

[iconoclastic cat]

6. I have said that right before every f'ing mess.

"No, he'd never abandon thousands of people in New Orleans!"

"No, he'd never just make up or change laws arbitrarily!"

Etc.

[leftchick]

that would make sense with logical people

we are working with insane dictators here. McCain of all people is in Europe trying to whip up support for military action in Iran.

[leftchick]

23. oopsie

doopsie!

[dmoded]

19. the military is stretched too thin

I don't think there will be any invasion of iran, Iran has been sitting on the sidelines smirking at whats been happening in their neighboring country probably vowing it will not happen to them.

from what i hear, the morale is very low, they dont have the proper equipment anymore, they are realizing they are in the wrong place, wrong time.

can they have a clear conscience knowing this is a probable figure they are involved in?

http://www.iraqbodycount.net/

They should come home immediately. Although Bush created this mess and it should be his duty to clean the place up and and bring the troops home, I just don't see it happening..

[AlCzervik]

4. unfortunately i don't think anyone is surprised by this, you invade a

country, disband the army and can't supply even the most basic needs and have no real vetting process for a new army and this is what happens.

[whitedove]

7. Not going to take it anymore

My sweet Son-in-law is stuck in Iraq he is in a base near Mozual. He and his unit do not want to be there, they do not believe in this war. Now they are doing this, this is sick... We need to get our troops home. I am so upset, we have killed so many inocent people, so Bush and his friends can profit.
What can we do, where are the people yelling in the streets?

I am so mad, I am not going to take it anymore!!!!!!


SHALOM!
Dove

On edit: I have been scared to post here for along time, I didn't want my SIL to get in trouble for what I do or say...
I still don't, but feel I have to say something! I HAVE TO HELP...

[recovering democrat]

11. You aren't alone

I understand your frustration - my son is in Iraq also and it is hard for me to not act like a complete and total fool most of the time. They need our support to get through this. I see a good many postings on DU from military family members who are dealing with this and it just really helps keep me sane to know I am not alone. Hope this helps!

[peacebaby3]

15. Hi to both of you. My husband is Army and served in Iraq for over a year.

He is at home safe for now, but they are re-deploying his unit as of right now. We are hoping he gets to retire. He's already gotten his paperwork in and we are just praying that they don't try to force him to go back.

Just so you know... there is a forum on DU for military and their families. It's called "Military Families Support Group."

I'll keep both of you and your soldiers in my thoughts!

[dmoded]

17. its true, they didnt know what they were getting into

I feel for you there, these troops enlisted to protect and serve right, . Well after the obvious lack of WMD's and the false pretense of an "imminent threat" now what could they be thinking? Going house to house, arresting iraqi's simply out of paranoia or anger because one of their friends have been hit by an IED.

It's baffling, this is not a war.. Saddam saw this coming probably as soon as bush was elected the first time. I remember distinctly perhaps just a few weeks into his new foothold, him bombing certain strategic iraqi sites. Of course you can't question a president's motives after he just took office a few days ago.

I have a bad feeling that those WMD's are now in the hands of many islamic extremists in the USA and elsewhere, whoever cooperated in this 'battle'. They brag about how it took them only 2-3 days to wipe out Saddams army. Hey, that wasn;t saddams army. those were "soldiers" wearing pacman t-shirts and sandals. I'm sure the real army relocated to iran or syria to bide their time.

The troops that are stuck there knowing this is a wrong war, my heart goes out to them. I wouldn't have the conscience to go uproot a mosque looking for evidence and going house to house looking for insurgents.

How much longer is your son's stay?

d.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

8. Nearly identical to what the troops said about Vietnam. Very sad.

[azurnoir]

9. I had wondered when this would be admitted

about 6 weeks ago the was a LBN thread about there being no Iraqi units capable of going it on their own without an American escort unit. I remember thinking that what this news release more likely indicated was that there was no Iraqi that our military trusted enough to leave on its own. No matter what side the Iraqi troops are on we are still the invaders.

[peacebaby3]

10. I know this is something new for the media, but it's not new for any of

the soldiers that have served in Iraq. My husband was there for over a year and I have said several times on the board how he said you would see a guy during the day waving at you, giving you the thumbs up, and then at night wind up seeing him again or catching him trying to shoot you. They are also trained to try and shoot you in the neck because there is no body armor and a neck wound is usually deadly.

My husband had several friends who were there and were responsible for training and working with the police force in al-Hilla (I believe I am spelling it correctly)and they would have to go there all of the time because the station would be blown up or attacked. Usually when they arrived, they would be ambushed and learn that someone in the police department had actually blown it up or started a fire to get them to come there.

The bad thing is that it makes some of the soldiers really hate the people. My husband never got to that point because he always said if someone would have invaded his country, he would probably do the same thing, but he understood how others felt as well because it is very hard to like people who are constantly trying to kill you.

[autorank]

12. Let's VOTE THIS UP. What a betrayal of our troops. Putting them

in a situation like this, when it was clearly predicted before hand.

Ignoring reliable, expert advice on the consequences of invation is negligence, at least.
Those in charge are culpable.

IMPEACH BUSH, CHENEY AND ALL THE JUDGES THAT THEY APPOINTED.

[peacebaby3]

14. K&R! n/t

[One Honest Guy]

16. Smart guys.

"I've seen them stand 10 feet away and do nothing but watch when we are in the middle of a firefight."

Get killed for what? Few hundred dollars a month? Iraqis are not stupid.

[peacebaby3]

20. Problem with that is that they are eventually going to have to do it

themselves. I believe that if we leave, they will be forced to run their own affairs, but it's already civil war and it could get a lot worse before it gets better. I think it is inevitable no matter how long we keep troops in the region. Dumbya has broken something that can't be fixed without a whole lot more bloodshed and pain. It's just a horrible, horrible situation. And Dumbya has said that he would leave it for another President to solve so it's officially a quagmire now and American and Iraqi citizens are going to pay and suffer for many more years.

[One Honest Guy]

22. The last thing this region needs is more US meddling.

It is true however that if US/Coalition were to leave overnight there would be lot of bloodshed. First to go would be various quisling organizations and movements, and their members. This includes dozens of western backed political parties that sprouted in the aftermath of the "liberation". They represent a minuscule percentage of Iraqis, and their evacuation, and evacuations of their families would need to be arranged. Much like in South Vietnam, when Vietnamese quislings were hurriedly evacuated along with the last remaining Americans. Next to go would be the Iraqi Christian community, Assyrians and Chaldeans. Many of them not only cooperated with Americans by taking jobs as interpreters and translators, but they actively participated in armed battles early in the war on the side of the coalition. Their evacuation (estimated 1.2 Mil.) would need to arranged as well. I am sure Armenian, Georgian, as well Lebanese communities would embrace em, as would Europe and US of A. (which already have large Iraqi Christian communities)

In the end Iraq would probably end up ruled by a quasi-Islamic government composed of Shiite and Sunni radicals. With Americans out of the way and EU membership just not happening, Turkey along with Iran (although not together) would probably decide to finally solve their Kurdish problems. Especially Turks, since now there are car bombs going off on a daily basis throughout out Turkey. Courtesy of Kurdish radicals.

Its not pretty, but that is exactly what needs to happen if region is to regain some resemblance of stability, and it will happen.

How do ya like them apples?

[peacebaby3]

26. I couldn't agree more. I'm afraid your scenario is exactly what is going

to happen. I don't see much being gained by leaving US troops on the ground in Iraq for us or the Iraqis. It's going to be horrible, but I think it is inevitable as well. I also feel that the Turks and Iranians will finish off the Kurds. I don't know if you remember this or not, but right at the beginning of the "war," the Turks were trying to cross over and go after the Kurds. There were several incidents at the border, but they backed off once the US put pressure on them and got some soldiers up to the area. They would love to take out the Kurds.

Oh, what a complete mess Dumbya has made!

Great and honest reply from an Honest Guy!

Welcome to DU! :) :hi:

[One Honest Guy]

27. Yeah, it's a sad situation.

Thanks for the welcome.

[peacebaby3]

30. Wow. Look at this!!!

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1059519>

We sure didn't speak at all to soon, huh?

The sh*t is already starting.

[leftchick]

18. this was to be expected

it was totally predictable. As the rest of the Iraq debacle was predicted.

[Jack Rabbit]

21. Gee, at least the ARVN just stayed out of the war for the most part

They weren't collaborating with the Viet Cong.

America Bush has few friends among the Iraqis. He should realize that and pull out.

[entanglement]

25. We've already 'fucked' Iraq many,many times over

if that makes you happier :eyes:

[Imagevision]

29. And this is the price we pay for delivering Bush's freedom & Democracy

this is pathetic -- this is total bullsh*t!!