The war on terror has been dragged for too long now. Saddam Hussein had been brought to justice already and Osama Bin Laden has been forced into hiding already and he is not in Iraq. Most of his top guys in Iraq have been neutralized already like Zarqawi.
So, why is it that US is still keeping its troops in Iraq? Who are they hunting for in Iraq? You cannot totally eradicate the insurgents in Iraq. New recruits will simply take the place of those who were either killed or captured. Keeping the US in Iraq will only aggravate the problem and will keep the war burning. As one American former CIA puts it, “the US is doing what it should not do in Iraq”. The Bush administration, as it seems, just tried to find someone to blame for the 9/11 why it attacked Iraq. Probably, what the older Bush failed to accomplish in his term has been achieved by the younger Bush when it decided to blame Saddam Hussein for the 9/11. That’s just my perception though and as how some analysts tell it. Nonetheless, the US was doing great when it arrested Saddam. What I don’t agree to is the continuing battle waged by the US-led coalition against the people of Iraq. This is wrong. The presence of foreign troops is sending the wrong signals to the locals. Killing all insurgents will not end the fighting. New recruits will simply take the place. To the locals the presence of US troops, even after Saddam has been neutralized and even after Osama Bin Laden and his top guys have been driven out of Iraq, is interpreted as an unjust invasion of their homeland and a clear intention of destroying Iraq without consideration or compassion upon the innocent civilian populace. The attacks on the US servicemen have taken so many American lives already. The casualties and the billions of dollars in operational expenses are enough to clearly set the real score for this war, with the US taking the losing score. Those billions could have been used in other more worthwhile humanitarian projects instead. The deaths of many civilians and US servicemen could have been avoided. What the US should do is leave Iraq as soon as possible and hand over the task of regaining peace and order to the Iraqi government. The US should continue the financial and technical assistance though, so that the new government will succeed in this complicated undertaking. The US can just keep the surveillance team in Iraq to monitor if the high-value targets have returned. The hunt for Al Qaeda can be sustained by improving surveillance and intel. But first, it must now leave Iraq and let the ground recover from the rubble, so the Iraqi people will now be able to set their sight on the newly resuscitated hope and start enjoying peace and prosperity again. America together with it allies can help save these new recruits or pool of supporters by outmaneuvering extremism by making these Moslems realize that Islam in fact, is a religion of peace that teaches followers to show love and compassion even to the non-believers. But the US must do so from outside of Iraq or far from the sight of the confused Iraqi people who sees the presence of foreign troops in Iraq as an invasion and an attack upon their religion and their own survival. The US can ask the help of those Moslem intellectuals and religious leaders who are moderates to make the Moslem world understand that extremism is not the desire of the Almighty God. The teachings of Quran compel one to show compassion and love towards the others who have taken a different path from that of Islam. Extremism is simply tantamount to world destruction. Even OSAMA BIN LADEN has cautioned his fellow Moslems to shy away from extremism. Global cooperation among the many religions and nations is the only way to achieve genuine peace and prosperity. More here: http://pdff.sytes.net/index.php?showtopic=5574&st=0 Alfred Alexander Marasigan Manila, Philippines [EMAIL PROTECTED]
