‘I DON’T KNOW WHAT COULD HELP AT THIS POINT’…. When it comes to an escalation in Iraq, the public is opposed, the Joint Chiefs of Staff are reportedly against it, Defense Secretary Robert Gates apparently has some concerns, and many of the troops themselves don’t seem too keen on the idea either.
Many of the American soldiers trying to quell sectarian killings in Baghdad don’t appear to be looking for reinforcements. They say the temporary surge in troop levels some people are calling for is a bad idea.
President Bush is considering increasing the number of troops in Iraq and embedding more U.S. advisers in Iraqi units. White House advisers have indicated Bush will announce his new plan for the war before his State of the Union address Jan. 23.
In dozens of interviews with soldiers of the Army’s 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment as they patrolled the streets of eastern Baghdad, many said the Iraqi capital is embroiled in civil warfare between majority Shiite Muslims and Sunni Arabs that no number of American troops can stop.
Spc. Don Roberts told the AP, “I don’t know what could help at this point….. What would more guys do? We can’t pick sides. It’s almost like we have to watch them kill each other, then ask questions.”
Sgt. Josh Keim, who is on his second tour in Iraq, said, “Nothing’s going to help. It’s a religious war, and we’re caught in the middle of it. It’s hard to be somewhere where there’s no mission and we just drive around.”
Sgt. Justin Thompson added that a troop surge is “not going to stop the hatred between Shia and Sunni.” Thompson, whose 4-year contract was involuntarily extended in June, added, “This is a civil war, and we’re just making things worse. We’re losing. I’m not afraid to say it.”
Now, these are comments from one battalion, not a poll with a random sample, so it’s difficult to say with any certainty that “the troops are against escalation plans.”
That said, two quick points. One, kudos to the AP for going straight to the source and getting so many soldiers’ perspective. Two, how, exactly, do supporters of the war dismiss the opinions of the Army’s 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, patrolling the streets of Baghdad? Cut-and-runners? Defeatocrats? Surrender monkeys?
