The continuing violence in Iraq

Bikewer

Penultimate Amazing
Bikewer
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St. Louis, Mo.
Despite the fact that our "combat mission" is now officially over... Considerable violence continues apace.
The very destructive attack today on potential army recruits is just part of a continuing pattern.... Seems that on a weekly basis at least we hear of yet another bombing, many of which appear to be leveled against police or security forces.
Attribution of these attacks seem to vary; some blame the remaining "Al Qaeda in Iraq" forces, whereas others seem to think it's more sectarian violence.

One has to wonder what whoever is responsible feels the point of such continued attacks might be.
Recently, a high-ranking Iraqi officer expressed that the native security forces would not be capable of operating on their own for some time yet.
At the same time, the Iraqi politicians have still been unable to form a government.

We often don't even hear of the daily spate of less-spectacular attacks; shootings, drive-bys, kidnappings, that sort of thing.
So is Iraq headed for a proper melt-down and civil war when we are finally out of there?
 
As far as violence goes, it really hasn't changed much to be honest. The media likes to play it off like violence has gone down because US forces have not been getting killed nearly as often. The reason for that is the security agreement we signed which states we are no longer allowed to run combat missions without Iraqis. So in other words we only leave our FOBs at their request, and we have them do all the work. And the violence is much, much more then simply an incident a week. Here is what happened today so far:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE67G1K6.htm

Aug 17 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1445 GMT on Tuesday.
BAGHDAD - A total of 57 people were killed and 123 wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an army recruitment base in the centre of Baghdad, the media office of the Health Ministry said.

BAGHDAD - Insurgents launched what appeared to be a coordinated assault against Iraqi judges, attacking eight of them in Baghdad and Diyala provinces with bombs and silenced weapons and killing two, judicial sources said.

BAGHDAD - The head of the Trade Ministry's supreme audit, Hasan Abdul-Lateef, was killed when gunmen using silenced weapons shot him in Baghdad's western district of Amiriya, police said.

HAMMAM AL-ALIL - An off-duty police officer was shot dead in Hammam al-Alil near Mosul, 329 km (200 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

MOSUL - The bodies of a man and a woman, both with bullet wounds, were found inside a car in eastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

MOSUL - Gunmen shot dead a government employee working at Badosh prison in western Mosul, police said.
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And yesterday:
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE67F06Q.htm

Aug 16 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1830 GMT on Monday. * denotes new or updated item *

FALLUJA - Gunmen in a speeding car opened fire on and killed a relative of a provincial councilman from the western province of Anbar just outside the city of Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of Baghdad, police said. *

MUQDADIYA - A car bomb went off next to a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims, killing four Iranians and one Iraqi, in the town of Muqdadiya, 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Baghdad, a police source and a source in the security operation centre of Diyala province said.

MOSUL - Gunmen shot dead a policeman manning a checkpoint in central Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

MOSUL - A civilian was killed and his son wounded during a shootout when Iraqi army forces chased suspected militants in eastern Mosul, police said.

BAQUBA - One U.S. soldier was killed on Sunday when a U.S. military patrol was attacked in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad, the U.S military said in a statement. (Compiled by Baghdad newsroom)
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You only hear about the large attacks on the news. Iraq is still a very, very dangerous place. Iraqi forces are in no way ready to take over the country. I follow all of the security developments at this website:
http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx
I deploy to Iraq for a year on Friday.
 
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At least now it is Iraqis killing each other. They need to fix their own problems. I predict now the Americans and everyone else gets out of Iraq then the situation will be fixed by the Iraqis, one way or another.
 
rjh01 said:
At least now it is Iraqis killing each other. They need to fix their own problems. I predict now the Americans and everyone else gets out of Iraq then the situation will be fixed by the Iraqis, one way or another.
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America's regional mission requires a military foothold in Iraq. Why bother invading and occupying it otherwise?

As long as it is able to afford its sprawling global garrison network it will not abandon Iraq...
 
rjh01 said:
At least now it is Iraqis killing each other. They need to fix their own problems. I predict now the Americans and everyone else gets out of Iraq then the situation will be fixed by the Iraqis, one way or another.
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I predict that it will never be fixed because Shias and Sunnis have been fighting about the same thing for hundreds of years.
 
Quad4_72 said:
I predict that it will never be fixed because Shias and Sunnis have been fighting about the same thing for hundreds of years.
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I agree. Democracy promotion was a noble act, and probably the most liberal war America has ever fought but Arab culture is not liberal, and has only ever known rule-by-violence since... forever and it will take a while for those old habits to die out.
 
rjh01 said:
At least now it is Iraqis killing each other.
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Hi. This attack is identical to attacks that were a commonplace in 2004, when Bremmer had just left and the great free for all began ... before purple thumbs and elections.

They've been killing each other with some vigor since mid 2004, mitigated now and again by various factors.

Don't look for it to stop any time soon.

@ Virus: democracy inflicted at bayonet point may or may not have been a good idea, but to call it "noble" strikes me as slightly naive.
 
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bikerdruid said:
that is what you imagine the war in iraq is about, 'promoting democracy' and overthrowing fascism'?
wow....you gotta lay off the kool-aid, dude.:rolleyes:
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The part where a fascist dictatorship was overthrown and a democracy was established.
 
Thunder said:
by what backwards, insane, ignorant definition of "Fascism", was Saddam Hussein a fascist?
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Baathism was inspired by European fascism, which was a huge influence on the Arab world during WW2. Saddam admired Hitler. Ideologically, it's fascism for Arabs.
 
bikerdruid said:
wow....and how many iraqi civilians died while you were 'freeing' them?

a nice fringe benefit of this is, of course, that you get to plunder the oild reserves.
niiiice.
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Do you happen to have the stats on how much profit the US has gained from oil plundered from Iraq?
 
bikerdruid said:
....there was a difference.
the real reason for that war was to fight hitler.
the real reason for this war is oil.
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Again with the oil claim here. Could you please provide the numbers for the oil we have profited from in iraq?
 
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