U.S. Troops Go It Alone In South Baghdad

Predominantly Shiite Iraq Force Not Welcome In Sunni Area; Americans Search Out Deadly Enemy Alone

(CBS)  This story was written by CBS News correspondent Cami McCormick, embedded with U.S. forces in Baghdad.

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In this fertile, rural area of southern Baghdad, date palm trees line the east bank of the Tigris River, often hiding a deadly enemy. Snipers use the trees for cover to fire on U.S. troops. Insurgents plant roadside bombs and then disappear into the groves.

The U.S. military bulldozes the trees along at least one road it uses frequently.

While much of the focus has been on the sectarian violence in Baghdad, the Sunni insurgency here shows no signs of abating.

Arab Jabour is one example of why President Bush is pressuring the Iraqi leadership to become a more representative government. The government's current security forces are made up largely of Shiites, who are unwelcome in this predominantly Sunni region.

So U.S. forces often go it alone.

"This is an area where the terrorists have been able to gain and maintain a sanctuary," said Col. Michael X. Garrett, Commander of the 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, because until now U.S. military forces haven't "routinely operated here and there are no Iraqi forces, army or police."

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The population of Arab Jabour is estimated at 120,000, and 90 percent to 95 percent of them are Sunni. It is bordered by predominantly Shiite areas to the north, in Baghdad, and to the south, by towns like Mahmudiya.

A national police checkpoint sits on the main road to central Baghdad, intended to stop weapons from flowing in and out of the capital, but the police officers are mainly Shiite and the Arab Jabour residents don't trust them.

"We're up against a Sunni-based insurgency that is dissatisfied with the Iraqi government," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark W. Odom, the commander of the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry, which deployed to this area two and a half months ago as part of the 4th Brigade.

"They think the government does not support them with basic services like electricity, food and fuel vouchers. They view the Iraqi government as essentially supporting Shiite militias," he added.

Although victims of sectarian violence have turned up along the area's borders with Shiite neighborhoods, the local Sunnis often take out their anger on Coalition forces.

"Ninety to 100 percent of the area's residents either actively or passively support the insurgency," estimates Odom, who calls them well-armed and well-trained.

On a scale of one to 10, he gives them the highest mark as worthy opponents.

"Clearly, many of them have been in the military, based on the engagements we have had. Their tactics, their employment of indirect fire systems, indicates something beyond just paramilitary training," Odom says.

And it's not just the military training that makes them so deadly, it's an engrained ideology. Odom says a 14-year-old boy was caught recently laying an improvised explosive device. One alleged sniper was just 16.

[exusmcsgt]

"Ninety- to 100-percent of the area's residents either actively or passively support the insurgency".

Considering that this city alone has 120,000 supporters of the insurgency one can see that an additional 21,500 American troops for the entire country of Iraq will have no measurable impact - except for the number of coffins shipped home.

[exusmcsgt]

Regarding Rice's attempt to sell Arab leaders on Bubba Dubya's escalation plans, USA Reports:

"Many in the media depicted Rice's visit as a failure. "The whole jet-setting trip turned out to be yet another stage-managed, futile diplomatic exercise ... In effect, Rice returns to Washington empty handed with a lot of false promises rather than optimism," the Doha, Qatar-based Peninsula newspaper wrote in editorial."

[inventagod]

Stay the course.

2008 will be a bloodbath for incumbents.

[inventagod]

The only reason the Bu$hCo traitors are not swinging from ropes for 9/11 is the deep-down intuition it was done for oil. At a gut level, voters do not want to run out of gas. I hope they don't first run out of freedom. Just an opinion.

[billserey]

re committed, right or wrong, I may not agree with the President, we must back our people; ask the troops they agree we must complete the mission. The troops who are protesting and calling to go home need to re-read General Order #1, or they should be charged accordingky ubder the UCMJ

[book54552134]

What's needed in Iraq is not an additional 21,000 troops but rather, 10 times that amount - 210,000 troops in addition to those already there in order to stabilize the country & prevent a civil war. But that would require a nationwide draft, something the Bush Administration is loathe to do. The Bush Administration has involved the US in the ultimate quigmire in Iraq. It cannot stay there without constantly bleeding it's military & treasury & it cannot leave without risking a regionwide sectarian war resulting in $6.00 a gal gasoline & high fuel costs in the US, & a worldwide depression. So much for Bush's legacy.

[exusmcsgt]

The troops who are protesting and calling to go home need to re-read General Order #1, or they should be charged accordingky ubder the UCMJ
Posted by billserey at 09:26 AM : Jan 18, 2007

Beacuse our warriors are young and have demonization of the enemy fed to them 24/7 doesn't mean that they are all so stupid as to not resent being asked to give their all for a foregone useless conclusion.

I don't know if you ever served, but I can tell you from experience, there is nothing so demoralizing as being asked to sacrifice yourself so some politician can save face. I've been there.

Why do you think the suicide rate is so high among our warriors?

[grumpas]

The only thing that will get Iraq back to normal is another Saddam Hussein! Complete with secret police, death squads and etc. That is literally the only way to control out of control religious fundamentalist's! But, another 210,000 isn't going to do the job either! Bush doesn't have the guts to bring back the draft. That is when he will have a full scale insurrection at home! A lot of us will not send our children or grandchildren to fight for his lies! That is above and beyond the call of duty! I feel pity for the soldier's who are being asked to fight and die for nothing now! There should be limits on what a country can ask of it's fighting men. Dying for an out-of-control President isn't one of them. One can accept death when it's for our freedom and etc! But, that isn't the case here! That lie went out the window a long time ago! They are being asked to fight and die for George's mistake! Because he can't admit to the lie! He won't admit to it until the public forces him!

[tuckerndfw]

The "war" in Iraq was "lost" on election day 2004.

The GOP is incapable of governing or advising anyone else how to govern.

The only way to "win" the "war" in Iraq is to enlist the aid of the same people Bozo Bush (a war criminal) is demonizing.


Bozo Bush (and the GOP) is responsible for murdering over 3,000 American soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians.

If Saddam deserved to be hanged for "crimes against humanity," what does Bozo Bush deserve?

[exusmcsgt]

grumpas-

You are correct. Just look at what happened in Yugoslavia when Tito's dictatorship ended. But the US can not turn back the clock, so we'll all watch Iraq degenerate into secular states - much to the glee of Iran - regardless of how much more we invest in this boondoggle.

[exusmcsgt]

The "war" in Iraq was "lost" on election day 2004.

Posted by Tuckerndfw at 10:16 AM

I beg to differ. The war in Iraq was lost on March 20, 2003, the day we invaded. The situation in Iraq has been in a downward spiral ever since.

[hober_mallow]

By the by, has Condoleezza Rice ever gotten an agreement on ANYTHING?
She flies all over the place, talks to all the foreign leaders, but never seems to have anything to show for it.
I'd say Rice is a pretty poor Secretary of State.
Or am I missing something here.

billserey


this war was started on a pack of lies, it is all about corporate American interest. About oil & money, yet soldiers should blindly follow orders, when what is going on is actually against the Nuremberg laws, and is an illegal invasion of a country. Yet you believe the troops must stay the course.

I don't know, I thought most of us taught our kids to stand up for what is just, and is correct. That if they realized something they where involved in was wrong, the solution was to get uninvolved, and do what they can do to solve the problem.


The violence in Iraq needs to end or slow dramatically, which means America and all the massive weapons they have there, need to come home.
Like Vietnam, mainstream propaganda states things will become more violent in Iraq if America leaves. How the hell will things get more violent when the majority of firepower belongs to the occupying armies that will be leaving. You need fire power like Americas, tanks, helicopter gunships, planes & bombs falling from the sky; in order to level whole cities like Falluja. The Iraq%u2019s don't have those tools or scale of weapons, so how will it get more violent when less weapons of large scale, and less firepower will be available for use ?


peace

[exusmcsgt]

Hober_Mallow -

Bush HAD a diplomat in Powell but ran him off as Bush believes in sabre-rattling, not diplomacy.
This is evident in his selections for our two most important diplomatic posts. He chose Bolton as ambassador to the UN and then moved his Hawk #2 Rice (Cheney is Hawk #1) from National Security to State.

Understandably, this administration has no diplomatic successes to it's credit.

[bluestardad]

These troops will always go it alone until Congress pulls them out.

[dallison7]

So, the facts are very clear. Our young men and women are fighting Iraq's civil war for them. GET OUR TROOPS OUT NOW!!! Lets Stop this stupid political bul*sh*t. The neo-cons are still at the same silly game, coining new buzz words. Now they came up with "reinforcements" to mask what is happening. Our idiot-in-chief is a traitor to our country and needs to be removed from office, tried and sentenced. PLEASE GO TO: www.impeachbush.org

[clestes-2009]

Have US troops every been anything else except on their own??

[exusmcsgt]

It really tickles me to hear the NeoCon contention that opposition to the war undermines our troops morale.

I remember, as a young Marine in Viet Nam, reading of the dissent here at home and thinking to myself "Hell yes! Get me out of this ridiculous boondoggle."

I was glad to see that some at home had the common sense to speak the truth.

[j-whitman]

What was it our "Decider" said in his last speech ?? -- "It's Iraq's Plan" -- Not according to Maliki.

Another itty-bitty lie to America & Troops

[mh4cbs1]

CBS interactive on Bush - "Forging a New Course"
"New Plan in Iraq"

STOP your endless BUSH Cheerleading! Maybe in 2002 and 2003 Americans bought your corporate media propaganda hook,line and sinker, and were so confused by your in-bed reporters that Bush was able to Lie his way into invading Iraq.

But face it, there is NOTHING new in the Bush plan! So stop calling it NEW. How stupid do you think people are? Maybe they were before, but the American Sheeple are waking up! Your pro-Bush bias just won't fly any more.