To Mollify Iraqis, U.S. Plans to Ease Scope of Its Raids

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 6 — The American military, in a major revision of strategy, has decided to limit the scope of its raids in Iraq after receiving warnings from Iraqi leaders that the raids were alienating the public, the top allied commander said today.

In its search for Baath Party operatives and other friends of the former government, the American military has carried out large sweeps, some of which have rounded up hundreds of Iraqis.

But Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the chief commander of allied forces in Iraq, said in an interview that the military had virtually exhausted the gains from this approach and that continuing it could be counterproductive.

"It was a fact that I started to get multiple indicators that maybe our iron-fisted approach to the conduct of ops was beginning to alienate Iraqis," General Sanchez said, referring to military operations. "I started to get those sensings from multiple sources, all the way from the Governing Council down to average people."

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/07/international/worldspecial/07RAID.html?hp

I wonder what it would be like if people were really annoyed.

we do not know WTF we are doing over there?

Just making it up as we go along.

...when I seen that CENTCOM was bragging about picking up an uncle to the brother of a former body guard of Saddam, or something like that. I though man. What card is this fellow?

Don

nt

:shrug:

There is no way to win in Iraq. Every choice is bad. Thanks, Duhbya.

Who will it be today?