U.S. Commander in Iraq Angling For Escalation Of Troops Outside Of Baghdad

[bigtree]

the 'commanders' will never recommend pulling out of Iraq. . . they'll always look for a 'way forward'. This is the clearest example of why the level of our commitment in Iraq shouldn't be decided by the 'generals on the ground'

May 11, 12:04 PM EDT

Commander in Iraq Asks for More Troops

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. commander in northern Iraq said Friday that he doesn't have enough troops for the mission in increasingly violent Diyala province.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon also said that Iraqi government officials are not moving fast enough to provide the "most powerful weapon" against insurgents - a government that works and supplies services for the people.

Mixon commands the area that includes Diyala province, north of Baghdad. It was a hotbed of the Sunni insurgency before the start of the Baghdad security crackdown and has worsened since militants fled there to avoid the increased U.S.-led operations started in the capital in February.

The U.S. is taking increasing casualties in Diyala. One soldier was killed Thursday from an explosion during combat operations in the province; one was killed and four others were wounded Tuesday in a shooting attack; and six U.S. soldiers were killed Sunday when a massive bomb destroyed their vehicle.

"I do not have enough soldiers right now in Diyala province to get that security situation moving," Mixon said. "We have plans to put additional forces in that region."

He declined to give details but said he has asked Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, for more forces.

"I laid out a plan for General Odierno on the numbers of forces that I would need," Mixon told Pentagon reporters by video conference from Iraq. "We have made progress ... we have taken terrain back from the enemy. General Odierno intends to give me additional forces as they become available."


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ_TROOPS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-05-11-12-04-43

[mmonk]

1. Yep, unfortunately they'll take the bait

the insurgency lays out for them in outlying areas. They are on their home turf and we're not. Our command structure has incompetence written all over it.

[bigtree]

2. they're soldiers

their job is to fight and hold territory. Confidence in their ability to do that is boundless among them.

[mmonk]

7. That's true to a point. Some commanders can see

the opposition's strategy and assess it better than asking for more troops to throw out into more areas. It would be best to assess the situation through drones and satellite imagery and devise tactics to counter. The problem overall is that to attack and then a country of 24 million people for years would require hundreds of thousands of troops if you want it tight and controlled.

[bdamomma]

4. that seems to be this administration top trait: INCOMPETENCE.

[jerryme1]

3. But, but, but... General Patraeus. He's our man. He wrote the book on

Counterinsurgency. He will lead us to victory in Iraq.

[bigtree]

5. He'll press on

like the damn fools tell him to

[bigtree]

6. where will the troops come from??!!

[NNN0LHI]

8. They will lower the recruitment standards again

Won't be long and our prison overpopulation problem won't be a problem.

Don