Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875
6 - 12 September 2007
Issue No. 861
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/861/fr1.htm
Bush blind to Iraqi quagmire
As British troops pull out of Basra and Bush pays a surprise visit to Al-Anbar
the situation in Iraq, despite what the US president says, is spinning out of
control
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Click to view caption
US President George W Bush hides behind a curtain of camouflage before
being announced to speak to the troops at Al-Asad Air Base in Anbar Province,
Iraq. However much he hides, Bush cannot avoid confronting the gargantuan
troubles now besetting him at home and abroad - all the way, even, to Australia
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PR or panic?
Pullout not enough
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As 550 British soldiers from the 4th Battalion continued their symbolic, albeit
surprise, pullout from Britain's last military base in Basra Palace in the
south of Iraq -- a sign that their presence has been a failure -- US President
George W Bush had a surprise of his own up his sleeve.
Landing at a US airbase in Al-Anbar province in an unexpected visit on Monday
morning, Bush hinted, for the first time, at cuts in US forces in Iraq. His
reasoning, though, appeared to have little to do with realities on the ground.
For Bush, the military "surge" earlier this year which pushed US deployment to
an all-time high of 162,000 troops had led to improved security in Iraq.
Whether he was simply alluding to a reduction in attacks against US troops
remains unclear, though the US president's assessment of the situation was in
stark contrast to the picture painted by official Iraqi figures.
According to the Iraqi authorities, 1,805 Iraqis were killed in August, making
it the second bloodiest month since the invasion in 2003. Last week also saw
the burying of 40,000 unidentified Iraqi corpses. A cholera outbreak in
northern Iraq is expected to take thousands of lives and spread in other parts
of the country. World Health Organisation (WHO) experts attribute the epidemic
to a shortage of potable water and a security situation that prevents Iraqis
from seeking medical attention or travelling to hospitals.
As if to contest Bush's security assurances, four American soldiers were killed
on Wednesday and another four wounded in two attacks in Baghdad, according to
the US command. A day before, a statement issued by the military said three
soldiers had been killed and two wounded by a roadside bomb in east Baghdad.
According to the statement, the bomb was an explosively-formed penetrator, of
the type the US says Iran has been supplying to Shia militias, a charge the
Iranians deny. The US said the blast occurred in east Baghdad but gave no
further details. However, a US Humvee was seen burning Tuesday at an
intersection in Mashtal section of eastern Baghdad.
Last week, Shia leader Muqtada Al-Sadr ordered a six- month suspension of
operations by his Mahdi Army militia, a move which raised eyebrows and
suspicions about the motives and future plans of the young leader.
US officials believe mainstream Mahdi forces have generally struck by the order
though breakaway factions of the militia are continuing attacks. In a second
attack on Tuesday, one soldier was killed and two others injured during combat
operations in the west of the capital, said US command.
The Electricity Ministry announced Tuesday that eight of its engineers and
technicians had been kidnapped and murdered the day before by unknown gunmen in
east Baghdad. The eight were travelling to a training session out of town when
they were abducted. Relatives identified their bullet- riddled bodies in a
hospital, ministry spokesman Aziz Al-Shamari said. In Mosul, 225 miles
northwest of Baghdad, gunmen ambushed a car in the city centre, killing three
men and a woman, police Brig Gen Abdul-Karim Al-Jubouri said.
Despite all this, the American president, who arrived in Sydney Tuesday
following his Iraq stop, insisted that "the security situation is changing, so
that reconciliation [in Iraq] can take place". He added that the fact that the
Iraqi legislature had passed 60 pieces of legislation "was illustrative of a
government that's beginning to work".
The much anticipated report on political progress in Iraq by a non-partisan
Congressional watchdog, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), released on
Tuesday, flatly contradicted Bush, characterising the Iraqi government as
"dysfunctional" and concluding that it had failed to meet most US Congress
targets.
The Iraqi government had met three targets fully, partially met four but failed
to make progress towards 11 of 18 benchmarks. "Overall key legislation has not
been passed, violence remains high, and it is unclear whether the Iraqi
government will spend $10 billion in reconstruction funds," said the report.
It is "unclear", it continued, whether sectarian violence in Iraq has decreased
since it is difficult to assess whether the perpetrator's intents are sectarian
in nature.
"As Congress considers the way forward in Iraq," said the report, "it should
balance the achievement of the 18 Iraqi benchmarks with military progress and
with homeland security goals, foreign policy goals and other goals of the
United States."
On Tuesday, the most senior US commander in Iraq hinted that he may recommend a
reduction in US troop numbers to avoid placing strain on the army.
General David Petraeus told US television there were "limits" to what the
military could do, but agreed that next March was "about right" for reductions.
The general is due to present his much anticipated assessment of US military
strategy in Iraq to Congress next week.
The Number 2 US commander in Iraq said Tuesday the next three to four months
will be "crucial" in determining whether the US can start to withdraw troops
from Iraq without sacrificing security gains since the troop build-up began
early this year. "I think the next three to four months are critical," Ray
Odierno told reporters. "I think that if we can continue to do what we are
doing we'll get to such a level where we think we can do it with less troops."
On Tuesday, an Al-Qaeda front group announced on an Islamist website that it
was forming new suicide battalions to strike at the Americans and their
"renegade" allies -- an apparent response to the burgeoning revolt against the
terror movement.
"These battalions, with God's help, will perform their duties in an excellent
manner during the month of Ramadan and the enemies of God will suffer a lot,"
the statement said, referring to the Islamic season of fasting that begins in
two weeks.
Odierno said US forces were alert to the possibility of increased attacks
during Ramadan but in the run-up to the holy month "violence has been going
down". (see Editorial p10)
Additional reporting: Associated Press
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