Tomgram: Schwartz on Surging into Catastrophe in Iraq

So far, what exactly is surging in Iraq? U.S. casualties, which are at a post-invasion high: According to an Associated Press analysis, more American troops were "killed in combat in Iraq over the past four months -- at least 334 through Jan. 31 -- than in any comparable stretch since the war began"; and February, with 34 American deaths in its first nine days, is exceeding this pace. These loses are largely due to roadside bombs (IEDs) and to the fact that U.S. troops are now engaged in almost continuous urban warfare. Before the invasion of Iraq, the possibility of fighting an urban war in the Iraqi capital's streets and alleys was the American high command's personal nightmare. Now, it's their reality -- and the President's surge plan can only make it more nightmarish. Downings of U.S. helicopters, six in less than three weeks: With road travel, even in convoys, now so dangerous, thanks to IEDs, the helicopter has been a transport workhorse for the U.S. military in Iraq. The sudden surge in downed helicopters raises the specter of new tactics by the insurgents as well as the possibility that they have new, advanced missiles in their hands. It raises a warning flag of the first order. Let's not forget that the beginning of the end of the Russian occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s came when CIA-supplied Stinger missiles began to take down Russian helicopters in significant numbers.

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Possible Disaster in Baghdad

The title of this diary may sound vastly understated, even sarcastic. It isn't meant that way. It is meant as an alarm. The current escalation in Baghdad might not be just more of the same, might not just be worse, it might be a military disaster. From what I have learned, it seems the elements of a large-scale defeat for US forces could be drawing into place in the city. The result could be hundreds of casualties on top of a failed mission. Below are my observations drawn from current news reports and study of previous operations in Iraq. If my fears are borne out, the current Baghdad security plan leaves our troops vulnerable to almost every weapon at the insurgents' disposal.

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  thanks to Steve Gilliard's News Blog

IRAQ: Lina Massufi, Iraq “I cannot stand the constant military raids in my home”

“My name is Lina Massufi. I’m a 32-year-old laboratory assistant who works 10 hours a day just to make enough money to raise my children. “My life has been like hell over the past three months. US and Iraqi soldiers have raided my house more than 12 times. “My husband, Khalil, was killed during the US invasion in 2003 when he drove through a closed road and soldiers shot him dead. “I live in Haifa Street, one of the most dangerous places to live in Baghdad today. The area is infamous for its huge number of insurgents. This is why Iraqi and US soldiers have increased their activity in the area, constantly raiding homes and arresting men for interrogation.

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  thanks to Steve Gilliard's News Blog

It Has Unraveled So Quickly

A PAINFUL measure of just how much Iraq has changed in the four years since I started coming here is contained in my cellphone. Many numbers in the address book are for Iraqis who have either fled the country or been killed. One of the first Sunni politicians: gunned down. A Shiite baker: missing. A Sunni family: moved to Syria.

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The back door

I have written many times about the erosion of the United States Army's capability to wage large scale war. Our equipment is in shambles (one major reason why it is taking so long to get a mere 21,000 soldiers deployed) and our end strength is a wreck. While everyone parses statements to support one side of this argument or the other, I tend to look at the actions. And the actions show a Country's military in desperate need of help. One of these actions is the back door draft of the Individual Ready Reserve. The purpose of this post is to educate people to the wide expanse of this program; basically taking untrained civilians who after years of being out of the military, are being forced back in and being "retrained" for new jobs.

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It's time to buy clues.

There's an odd thing about the coverage of the Iraq war. If you want to see how dangerous it is, you need to watch shows like War Diaries, Shootout and National Geographic explorer. Bush and many people in the US like to depict the Iraqi guerrillas as barely competent. But on these shows, the soldiers are lucky to survive their encounters. They routinely trap US troops. Only the superior training of US troops prevents disaster. We have mostly hidden the absolute Mad Max like danger from the American public and relegated it to buff TV on cable. Yet, if you watch these shows, the unremitting violence, the near anarchy of it becomes clear. The Iraqis can certainly take on Americans and walk away.

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