. . . we have lost confidence in the U.S. side . . . they can't protect us

[bigtree]

That's the view from the citizens 'on the ground' in Iraq

Yet, Bush is sending in MORE U.S. soldiers . . . I'm sure the Iraqis are good with that :eyes:

U.S. will reinforce troops in west Iraq

{snip}

May 30, 2006
BAGHDAD, May 29 - The U.S. military said Monday it was deploying the main reserve fighting force for Iraq, a full 3,500-member armored brigade, as emergency reinforcements for the embattled western province of Anbar, where a surge of violence linked to the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq has severely damaged efforts to turn Sunni Arab tribal leaders against the insurgency.

"We hope to get rid of al-Qaeda, which is a huge burden on the city. Unfortunately, Zarqawi's fist is stronger than the Americans'," said one Sunni sheik, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of insurgent retaliation. He was referring to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, an umbrella group for many of the foreign and local resistance fighters in Iraq. Local Sunni leaders often insist that the most violent insurgent attacks are by foreign fighters, not Iraqi Sunnis.

In Ramadi, "Zarqawi is the one who is in control," the sheik said, speaking to a Washington Post special correspondent in Ramadi. "He kills anyone who goes in and out of the U.S. base. We have stopped meetings with the Americans, because, frankly speaking, we have lost confidence in the U.S. side, as they can't protect us."

Another sheik, Bashir Abdul Qadir al-Kubaisi of the Kubaisat tribe in Ramadi, expressed similar views. "Today, there is no tribal sheik or a citizen who dares to go to the city hall or the U.S. base, because Zarqawi issued a statement ordering his men to kill anyone seen leaving the base or city hall," he said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13039231/

related: Insurgents fight U.S., Iraqi forces to stalemate in Ramadi
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=564739189821015536

more of this to come . . .

Abu Hassan thought he and his family were next as he watched, terrified, while U.S. marines move from house to house in Haditha last November in what Iraqi residents say was a cold-blooded killing spree.

The killings of four brothers in that house on Nov. 19 are part of a military investigation into whether marines may have killed as many as two dozen civilians in the town, which U.S. officials say could lead to charges including murder.

Abu Hassan and others witnessed far less but he said the bloodshed has taken a collective psychological toll on residents of the town 200 km (125 miles) west of Baghdad.

"Now the children run away when they see American Humvees (vehicles). I am a grown man of 47 and I am also scared. I still see American snipers on rooftops and I head the other way," he said.

[PsychoDad]

1. Winning hearts and minds....

For the resistance.


Peace.

[bigtree]

2. war is peace

escalation

[bigtree]

3. Pentagon doesn't think they can lick the insurgency this year

the extra troops are there to drive the 'insurgent' body count up.

Pentagon: Iraq insurgency steady until '07

Associated Press
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/14699098.htm

WASHINGTON - The Sunni Arab heart of the Iraqi insurgency seems likely to hold its strength the rest of the year, and some of its leaders are now collaborating with al-Qaida terrorists, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

In a report assessing the situation in Iraq, required quarterly by Congress, the Pentagon painted a mixed picture on a day when the U.S. military command in Baghdad said 1,500 more combat troops have arrived in the country. The extra troops are part of an intensified effort to wrest control of the provincial capital of Ramadi from insurgents.

The report to Congress offered a relatively dim picture of economic progress, with few gains in improving basic services like electricity, and it provided no promises of U.S. troop reductions anytime soon.


More 'collateral' killings to come.