You have to watch out what corner you turn in Iraq. You could wind up
getting shot by American soldiers spraying bullets randomly.
But that isn't what this diary is about. Nor is it about the booming industry in ammo, where Americans fire off 250,000 bullets for every insurgent/civilian that gets killed.
This diary is about how we are slowly losing control of Iraq, and how the Bush Administration no longer wants to do anything about it.
Insurgest
have seized 5 towns in Iraq.
A senior U.S. Marine commander said Monday that insurgents loyal to militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had taken over at least five key western Iraqi towns on the border with Syria and were forcing local residents to flee.
[...]
Two weeks ago, Marine spokesmen denied initial reports that insurgents had taken control of the area and were enforcing strict Islamic law, whipping men accused of drinking alcohol, burning a beauty parlor and shops that sold CDs and executing government workers for collaboration with the Iraqi government.
But Alford told The Chronicle that fighters linked to al-Zarqawi had been in complete control of these ancient smuggling communities for at least the past month, and that neither U.S. nor Iraqi forces held any sway over the swath of land that abuts Iraq's desolate, porous 450-mile border with Syria. Washington has repeatedly accused Syria of providing a safe transit route for foreign fighters headed for Iraq.
He estimated that between 300 and 400 insurgents were operating in the area. Most of them, he said, are foreign fighters who have crossed into Iraq through the border with Syria.
"For the time being, they run these towns," Alford said.
He said he could not confirm reports that insurgents had been executing suspected American sympathizers.
"We have seen a number of extra graves when we fly over in a helicopter, usually after we have killed" insurgents, he said.
Marine units stationed outside al Qaim and four neighboring towns perched along the Euphrates River -- Dulaym al Husayba, Karabila, Sada to the west of al Qaim, and Al Ubaydi to the northeast -- do not venture into these towns, Alford said. Insurgents open fire at any Marine patrol that approaches the town lines. No Iraqi soldiers or police officers operate inside the towns.
[...]
Maybe some other of you have noticed how American casualties, while still high, have
dropped a great deal this past month.
If you look closer, you'll notice that American casualties have spiked every time we've launched an offensive. Last month we suffered the loss of 85 soldiers when we took back a range of towns on the Syrian border. Many of you will remember how Brook Park, Ohio lost 20 young men in just 3 days.
It seems that gathered a little too much negative press for the Bush Administration to handle, because they now have chosen to ignore a string of 5 towns in the hands of our only true enemies in Iraq.
So where does that leave us?
A president frozen by popularity polls into not acting against our enemies in the war. But also relunctant to pull out the troops because his base of support would never tolerate it.
In other words, when it comes to chosing which side of the road to drive on, he's chosen the white line in the middle. Our troops are going to get killed while achieving nothing if that's the case.
Meanwhile, the media slowly recognizes that an undeclared civil war is in progress.
Can this possibly get any worse?
