Iraqis Drain the Terrorist Swamp
March 1st, 2008 at 08:49am Mark Noonan
This is what we’ve been working for:
BAGHDAD – Citizens in the Arab Jabour region turned in multiple weapons caches to Multi-National Division - Center Soldiers Feb. 26.
Sons of Iraq turned over the caches to Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
The cache consisted of 61 57 mm projectiles and 129 105 mm empty shell casings.
Several area residents not associated with the SOI also contributed to the removal of multiple weapons systems.
One resident brought in two 57 mm mortars, two 72 mm projectiles, one 105 mm projectile, one 120 mm projectile, one 155 mm projectile, eight rocketpropelled grenades, a two-liter container of homemade explosives and three mortars to Soldiers from Company C, 1-30th Inf. Regt.
“Every pressure plate, every dismounted improvised explosive device the SOI or we find is helpful in increasing security,” said Capt. William Lyles, 1-30th Inf. Regt. battle captain. “It makes it better for locals.”
Since Feb. 26, Arab Jabour residents have turned in more than 100 57 mm mortars, in addition to other ordnance. The munitions found are commonly used in conjunction with explosives to create improvised explosive devices.
“These locals want things to return to normal, and are beginning to take the lead in depriving insurgents a safe haven in their community,“ said Lyles, of Hampton, Va.
We are so close now - the Iraqis are doing it more and more for themselves and before too long will only need us, in day to day operations, for air and logistics support. But here’s the catch - if we demonstrate that we are going to bug out, it will demoralise the Iraqis, perhaps fatally and thus allow the terrorists to regain control of wide swaths of Iraqi territory, and perhaps the whole country with Iranian/Syrian help. More for morale reasons - and morale is to material as three is to one in warfare - than any other, we must continually proclaim our determination to stay in Iraq in great strength until the Iraqis, themselves, decide that we’re no longer needed. And therein lies the full danger of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton - merely because of a short-sighted desire to placate the far left, they have pre-committed themselves to defeat in Iraq…and even if the realities are brought home to them and they hedge in January (supposing that either of them wins), the damage will already have been done in November if either of them are elected President.
We already know that a significant number of troops will come home in 2008 - it is highly likely that an even larger number will be able to come home in 2009. De-facto, the left is going to get what it says it wants - a withdrawal from Iraq - one way or the other. The decision we, the people, will make in November with whether that withdrawal with be victorious, or defeated.
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, War on Terror
43 Comments
1. neocon | March 1st, 2008 at 9:53 am
Don’t the Iraqis realize they’re losing? Who do they think they are in going against the conventional wisdom of the Democrats?
They don’t realize how good they had it under Saddam. A free society is so messy.
2. Barack Obama » Iraq&hellip | March 1st, 2008 at 10:07 am
[...] Suburban Guerrilla wrote an interesting post today on Iraqis Drain the Terrorist SwampHere’s a quick excerptAnd therein lies the full danger of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton - merely because of a short-sighted desire to placate the far left, they… [...]
3. Nietzsche-Is-Pietzsche | March 1st, 2008 at 10:19 am
Mark
So what you’re saying is we are out of there in 2 years regardless of who is in the Oval office, but if it’s a Democrat in the White House that withdrawl would be considered a defeat?
Excuse me could you repeat yourself cause I tought I heard you say something ridiculous.
4. phil | March 1st, 2008 at 10:31 am
Deleted - mindless insults
5. plainjane | March 1st, 2008 at 10:36 am
Deleted - mindless insults.
6. Nietzsche-Is-Pietzsche | March 1st, 2008 at 11:00 am
Deleted - off topic.
7. Aaron | March 1st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
so, when the Sunni tribes and Shi’a militias start fighting each other again in earnest, will that be “terrorists”?
Our intelligence estimates say that only 10% or so of the violence in Iraq is from groups identified as terrorists or with connections to groups such as al-qaeda. The other 90% of the violence are various ethnic factions vying for control of the country - ie it’s a civil conflict. That will probably never end until one side vanquishes the other. Which side are we on? Or are we on neither? Or both? Certainly we’ve been supplying weapons to both… which basically translates into bribe money in a desperate plea with these groups to stop fighting.
The point is that this is not our conflict. It was predicted that we’d unleash this conflict by removing the strong-man that was suppressing this ethnic warfare. But we are not the root of this conflict, which goes back centuries. It will be there whether we stay in the middle of it refereeing it or not. Meanwhile, every month we stay there flushes another $12 billion of our tax dollars down the drain, to add to the estimated $2 trillion we’ll already spend when this is someday finished.
“Accomplishments” thus far:
$2 tillion flushed
4,000 dead US soldiers
30,000 wounded US soldiers (5,000 w brain injuries)
100,000+ dead Iraqi civilians
The unleashing of a civil war
Enhancement of Iranian power
Soiling of American Honor
Recruitment tool for al-qaeda
Re-emergence of Taliban and al-qaeda in Afghanistan
All that to remove a tin pot dictator who was known to be toothless and contained. Oh, and corporations affiliated with Bush and Cheney got very very veeeeeery rich. Mission f**kin accomplished.
8. SEW | March 1st, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Yes, we should listen to the professionals, the Washington Democrats, not political hacks like General Patraeus. Kerry, Reid, Kennedy, Pelosi, Schumer, Barry [Barack], and Murtha, the real professionals.
And FatAlGore, on “manmade Global warming”.
Proven science and scientific “fact”, there is a graph demonstrating a rise in CO2 and temperature! Awesome science there Nietz.
9. Nietzsche-Is-Pietzsche | March 1st, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Deleted - off topic.
10. FmrMarine | March 1st, 2008 at 12:56 pm
arron
how about this
ILLEGAL aliens = 1 TRILLION - PER YEAR FLUSHED!
ABORTION = 45,000,000 DEAD US citizens.
TERRORISM = 10,000 dead world wide
islamic jihad = 10,000,000 dead world wide.
islamic led civil wars
and the removal of a MAD MAN who murdered hundreds of thousands, and GASSED an entire village, sith NERVE GAS!
and lastly - ………..THIS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNgaVtVaiJE
11. FmrMarine | March 1st, 2008 at 1:03 pm
>>>>>.Noonan looking out his back window and seeing snow in it for a day.
I know which one I’m going with.<<<<<
YOU can ——GO here—–
http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/G/great_global_warming_swindle/index.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1923865/posts
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20070315&articleId=5086
12. Aaron | March 1st, 2008 at 1:16 pm
FmrMarine -
answer the question: so, when the Sunni tribes and Shi’a militias start fighting each other again in earnest, will that be “terrorists”?
13. SEW | March 1st, 2008 at 1:25 pm
And your scientific community is—-liberal journalists and UN political hacks.
14. Aaron | March 1st, 2008 at 1:35 pm
FmrMarin -
Point by point:
“ILLEGAL aliens = 1 TRILLION - PER YEAR FLUSHED!” - Assuming this is even remotely the truth (all studies I’ve seen show illegals are about a wash as far as net effect on the economy), are you trying to say that it is OK to dump $2 trillion in Iraq? Because we have illegals? Non-sequitur.
“ABORTION = 45,000,000 DEAD US citizens.” Again, non-sequitur. You are just avoiding responsibility for the horror in Iraq by trying to divert attention to something else.
“TERRORISM = 10,000 dead world wide” - Yeah, but that had precisely zero to do with Iraq
“islamic jihad = 10,000,000 dead world wide”. I don’t know where you pull this figure - other than out of your ass. In any case, Islamic Jihad was not in secular Iraq.
“islamic led civil wars” - unleashed in Iraq by our invasion
“and the removal of a MAD MAN who murdered hundreds of thousands, and GASSED an entire village, sith NERVE GAS!” Newsflash - the world is full of nasty dictators. Are you willing to spend several trillion dollars and occupy all of those countries for years? And when this mad man was gassing an entire village, he did so as a US client who was having friendly meetings with Rumsfeld.
“and lastly - ………..THIS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNgaVtVaiJE” again, non-sequitur. I’m not interested in the stupid democrats who helped that moron Bush drive the bus into the ditch. The democrat who I support and who will be the next president gave this speech in 2002 before we invaded:
15. phil | March 1st, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Deleted - mindless insults.
16. Jeremiah | March 1st, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Iraq was a needed and worthy cause…liberals seem intent at blaming all of our economic ills on Iraq not fully understanding the greater impact their entitlement programs have on America. The money spent in Iraq amounts to about the size of a piss ant compared to a stone the size of a basketball…There’s a planet’s difference.
The damage Democrats have done to America is unbelievably enormous.
So the next time you stupid idiot Democrats want to blame something on Conservatives … please take a look in the mirror … THERE is where you’ll find your problem.
What a digrace!!!!
–Jeremiah–
17. Rich | March 1st, 2008 at 2:04 pm
“answer the question: so, when the Sunni tribes and Shi’a militias start fighting each other again in earnest, will that be “terrorists”>”
Have a crystal ball in our pocket? What lottery number sould I pick this week? Any of you turds want to go to iraqicasualties.com and look at the figures? We lost one soldier per day this month, basically lowest total in5 years. Any spin on that? Care to explain how were getting our ass kicked still? We are winning and you boners want to simply put your fingers in your ears and ignore it.
Matt and mark, you really need to ban some of these a-holes. I’m sure other regular posters are as tired as I am of these defeatist terrorist sympathizers mucking up the place. It’s your blog, do what you want, but I guarantee they would not put up with this crap on a democratic website.
18. phil | March 1st, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Deleted - mindless insults.
19. phil | March 1st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Deleted - mindless insults.
20. FmrMarine | March 1st, 2008 at 3:02 pm
philphy phil
Your deluded rants are as mindless as your take on life.
GO live in one of the islamic paradises or liberal ons
ill pay your way…
SAMALIA?
N. KOREA?
IRAN?
CUBA?
let me know!
21. Michael | March 1st, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Keep up the good news about the war in Iraq, Mark. The continuous reduction of fatatalities of everyone excep Al Qaeda fighters is proof that the surge is a success. This is news that the Donkeys despise because they hate to lose a talking point or two. In Iraq shops are opening, schools are in session, and the terrorist beheaders are getting killed or captured at increasing rates. The Iraqis are doing much of the work now managing their own security. They have a working parliment which actually passed a budget (which our Democrat congress can’t achieve), and the MSM is ignoring it all. That’s how you can tell its bad news for left-leaners. All we get in response to this good news is incoherence and insults. They are all behaving like Hillary.
22. eric | March 1st, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Aaron,
FYI. Your $2 Trillion number is a bit high. The real number is just under $500 Billion.
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home
23. bongoman | March 1st, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Rich: “We lost one soldier per day this month, basically lowest total in5 years”
You do realise that we are paying Sunni groups for their support? Millions of dollars a month.
Elsewhere, Turkey has made a major incursion into Iraq, is refusing US requests to leave and has indicated that they will stay as long “as it takes”.
Our actions in Iraq are simply fueling Islamic radicalisation around the world. That is, we’re making the problem worse.
Go and read Leaderless Jihad by Sageman, who knows more about this stuff than you and I could ever hope to.
It’s very distressing to realise that what we are doing in Iraq is exacerbating the problem, not solving it.
24. Kahn | March 1st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
We are winning. Democrats are constantly trying to undercut that.
Nietche - Look, even if you are wrong on Global Warming, we’ve said we agree with many of the proposed actions. Yet it turns out that Democrats stand in the way of wind and nuclear. Solar is just not cost efficient. And hydro-electric would face enormous tree hugger hurdles.
Yet liberal posters here argue against nuclear and refuse to attack Kennedy for slowing wind projects nationwide. It’s just that it’s hard to take you seriously when we’re willing to do what you want (for different reasons) and you yourselves stand in the way. Do you want to fight Global Warming or not? What is more important, getting us to agree why, or getting us to agree to do something?
Stop blocking nuclear power. Stop blocking wind power.
Shifting to wood chips and ethanol does not clean the atmosphere.
25. phil | March 1st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Deleted - mindless insults.
26. Canadian Observer | March 1st, 2008 at 4:22 pm
The damage Democrats have done to America is unbelievably enormous.
15. Jeremiah | March 1st, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Inasmuch as they did diddly squat to stop the perpetrated insanity of the commander-in-chief, Jeremiah, I would have to agree.
27. Kurt Diekelman | March 1st, 2008 at 4:25 pm
As I read through these posts, it just amazes me how pissed off the liberals get when any good news comes out of Iraq. There is no way America could have won WW2 with a Democratic Party that is as silly as the one we have today.
“We support the troops”!, the liberals shout, while doing their best to sabatoge their efforts and dismissing their accomplishments as meaningless. History will be very cruel to those in the surrender lobby. Our troops will do their job and, along with the Iraqis, win this conflict.
28. phil | March 1st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
FmrMarine,
It’s really nice of you to offer to pay for my vacation. I dont think I’ll go to North Korea; since the philarmonic left there’s no good music. I don’t think Iran would be good either as I’m allergic to sand. There is no such place as Samalia, so I can’t very well go there. So that leaves Cuba, that’s where I’ll go. I hear it’s beautiful there in the spring. I guess I’ll take a boat to get there, I’ll send you the bill for that.
In return for your kindness I’ll pay for your next lobotomy, let me know when that’s scheduled for.
Thanks again!
29. phil | March 1st, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Deleted - complains about comment policy.
30. phil | March 1st, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Deleted - off topic.
31. Mark Noonan | March 1st, 2008 at 4:49 pm
NiP,
Because if we withdraw under President McCain it will be at the express request of the government of Iraq and we’ll leave with colors flying, while if we withdraw under President HillBama it will be because they’re leftwing idiots who don’t understand the first thing about war - and the enemy will rejoice that the Great Satan has such a cowardly and stupid President (this is how they will view the withdrawal by Obama - you can shout to the ends of the earth that its not cowardly and stupid, but the enemy will still view is so).
32. phil | March 1st, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Deleted - off topic, complains about comment policy.
33. phil | March 1st, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Deleted - off topic.
34. eric | March 1st, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Bongoman,
Turkey withdrew from Iraq yesterday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/turkey_iraq_dc
35. Diana Powe | March 1st, 2008 at 7:59 pm
What can I say? Once again we have more silliness about “victory” and “defeat” in Iraq with all references to the reason for The Surge ™ carefully left out. The surge was to allow for political progress which involves a minimum of three segments of society with a long history of mutual animosity all wanting to gain the maximum degree of control over the oil revenue which, if the petroleum infrastructure were ever brought to current standards and weren’t subject to constant attacks, will be Iraq’s best hope for funding it’s redevelopment. The political progess? Next to nonexistent. The new Iraqi law touted by the Administration recently? Vetoed by the presidency. The surge is ending because it was planned to end at this time because it was unsustainable which is what we were told last summer. However, some attention spans are longer than others.
36. Jeremiah | March 1st, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Canadian Observer,
In as much as you don’t care diddly of what our Commander-in-Chief and men and women in uniform sacrifice everyday of thier lives to keep America. The price we pay to fight to keep America free is nothing compared to the price we would pay if we didn’t fight. Liberals can rant and rave about the cost, the men and women lost, and the Iraqi lives lost, but just think about what it would be like for 300,000,000 free men and women to suffer at the hands of the Taliban.
Every achievment we’ve made would be lost. Gone. Never to be brought back again.
Every school would be turned into centers for Islam and the Quran. And they would have no mercy. If you refused your life would be taken.
Food being rationed out for as much as it would take for you to barely survive on.
If you think we’ve paid a big price, wait until Obama becomes President.
Too late to say anything about ‘War on Terror’ then, because it will be right here, with millions fighting for their lives.
–Jeremiah–
37. Jeremiah | March 1st, 2008 at 10:52 pm
In the last three months Wal-Mart has made over $100,000,000,000 ….. Over 400,000,000,000 a year!!!and I just wonder where that money goes to?
How’s the war got anything to do with that, liberals?
–Jeremiah–
38. bongoman | March 2nd, 2008 at 12:02 am
Jeremiah:
(expletive deleted). The Taliban are not about to invade and conquer the USA. You wildly overstate the threat.
39. Freedom1 | March 2nd, 2008 at 12:42 am
Jeremiah:
Islamization is already happening in Britain.
1) (Britain) “UK Police Will Be Taught Sharia Law And The Koran In ‘Secret’ Plan To Counter Terror At Local Level” - DailyMail.com
2) ‘Honor Killing’ Epidemic in Britain: Police say 17,000 women are victims every year - The Independent UK
3) Britain: “New sharia row over Chancellor’s plans for ‘Islamic bonds’” - DailyMail.com
4) UK Providing Cash for Muslim Harems: Polygamous husbands can claim cash for their harems - DailyMail.com (Canada, too)
5) Archbishop of Canterbury: Sharia Law in UK is ‘Unavoidable’
I think we will win the War in Iraq and lose Great Britain (and most of Europe) to Islam.
40. Thanks to BLOGS FOR VICTO&hellip | March 2nd, 2008 at 6:24 pm
[...] Iraqis Drain the Terrorist Swamp [...]
41. Aaron | March 2nd, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Eric -
“FYI. Your $2 Trillion number is a bit high. The real number is just under $500 Billion.
$2 trillion is what most economists estimate as the total cost of the war. $500 billion is just what has been appropriated thus far for on-going operations. This does not include monies to replace worn-out or destroyed equipment, nor does it include the life-time medical care for the 25,000 wounded, etc.
One Nobel-prize winning economist - Joseph Stiglitz - estimates that the war will cost $3 trillion when we’re done. I chose the more conservative $2 trillion that most economists agree on. Of course, all of these figures greatly depend on how long we stay. At the current burn-rate of $12 billion/month for operational alone, another extra few years can really cripple our nation’s future. For comparison, the entire annual budget of NASA is about $12 billion, which is what we piss away in Iraq each month just to keep the soldiers in the field. That also equates to more than the federal government spends on education each year.
An entire space program, spent every month in Iraq. An US entire education budget spent every month refereeing a civil conflict in Iraq. Month after month, for years on end.
42. Amanda | March 3rd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Here’s a link to what Aaron is talking about:
http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSN02281702
43. sleepygene | March 3rd, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Iraqis can’t seem to drain every swamp since this douche gets to meet with Iraqi leaders not in the dead of night under cover of darkness like some we know, but with all of the pomp and circumstance of an official state visit. Makes you think what do the leaders of Iraq really want, doesn’t it?
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080303/D8V5V0V00.html