Iraqi Forces Free British Journalist

[tomahawk6]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080414/ts_nm/iraq_dc

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A British journalist held for two months by kidnappers in the southern Iraqi city of Basra was rescued on Monday by Iraqi forces sweeping through the city in a crackdown on militants, the Iraqi military said.

 

[Sven]

So Maliki HASN'T agreed to let El sadrs Minions alone?

 

[Detmold_Drunk]

I want to go halves on a lottery ticket with him

 

[parapauk]

So Maliki HASN'T agreed to let El sadrs Minions alone?

No he hasn't, it's just the story the mejia are pushing, as is the 'disaster' of the Iraqi army in Basra as a whole. It will take maybe three months, but I suspect Basra will be de-loused to an acceptable extent sooner than most people think.

 

[California_Tanker]

Unpossible! The Iraqi Army are incompetent and incapable of acting without babysitting by British or American forces!

(At least, that's what people keep trying to tell me)

NTM

 

[Perturbed]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080414/ts_nm/iraq_dc

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A British journalist held for two months by kidnappers in the southern Iraqi city of Basra was rescued on Monday by Iraqi forces sweeping through the city in a crackdown on militants, the Iraqi military said.

I hope this is a true story. If it is, it speaks quite well about the Iraqi forces training and commitment, I think.

 

[MrShanklysboots]

It is true - he was rescued on a sweep (they were not looking for him specifically), but they did the job.

Were it Americans / Brits we would be back slapping to the tune of four pages now.

Fecking well done. It might have been luck, but as someone once said, the more I practice, the luckier I get.

 

[Perturbed]

It is true - he was rescued on a sweep (they were not looking for him specifically), but they did the job.

Were it Americans / Brits we would be back slapping to the tune of four pages now.

Fecking well done. It might have been luck, but as someone once said, the more I practice, the luckier I get.

Well I also wanna slap these troops on the back for a job well done. Good job, well done.

In a sense I think it is even more impressive that it was done by Iraqis. They have far less technological equipment, less experience and a ....

Never mind. Forget being specific. I think that the Iraqi regulars face more problems than "western" forces. For them, in their situation, to do this is a big achievement and deserves praise.

 

[jacob5654]

First post but I have to because those who discredit the IA collectively have missed the point. From a UK/US perspective they might be bloody frustrating wen they only do what they want to do but for too long we have been trying to persuade them to do things for our benefit - not their own. When they want to do something they can do well and this is an example of it. They have some balls too. The media have spent the last few weeks denouncing the IAs op in Basrah but, given that it was precipitously instigated by Maliki my own view is that the IA and some others have done pretty well in the circumstances.

And let us not confuse the IA with the IPS (and others). Quite why we have continued to treat them all with equal favouritism despite the IPS (and DBE and FPS and ......) being so obviously corrupt for years defeats me - I presume it is the head in the sand brigade who still think they can create a UK style civ police service in a Middle Eastern country. What Basrah needs and is beginning to get is a properly motivated (ie not for sectarian gain, meglomanic brutality, or personal wealth generation) degree of martial stability and security. Then will come the inward investment and reconstruction, economic employment and true growth. Who knows - some form of locally adapted democracy might even develop too! The IA is beginning to provide such a force motivated by the needs of Iraq and its people and I agree that Basrah might yet come good sooner than we expect.

Politics plays a part too and Maliki was wrong to push too early. He may have got away with it but good luck to the IA whose hand was forced before they were properly equipped or ready - I admire their growing courage and capability - now lets stop f*cking around and get them some proper kit as quickly as we can.

Jacob

[Edited for spelling]

 

[Walter_Walt]

Anyone notice that HMG (puke) have pissed off both the Iraqi and Afghan governments. In both cases by trying to cut deals with local groups/rebels/insert description without bothering to mention it to the government first.

Can we get rid of them before the only people who will talk to us are North Korea?

 

[PartTimePongo]

In both cases by trying to cut deals with local groups/rebels/insert description without bothering to mention it to the government first.

And you would involve elements of Government you don't trust on particularly sensitive issues would you? Especially when it is the safety of your troops involved?

Not to mention large wedges of your cash. As the recent senate hearings highlighted, Iraq is not in a hurry to spend it's rapidly growing oil revenue.

I am unsure how much revenue is floating around in AFGN, legitimate or otherwise.

 

[Walter_Walt]

Well, if you keep telling them they are the government they may get funny ideas - such as not liking people setting up/helping armed grouped opposed to said government. Or thinking that they run the place.

Put it like this - if it turned out that government X decided to help out in NI by setting up a nice training camp for the IRA and had talks with them about taking over the government of South Armagh, I'm betting that you wouldn't be impressed.

The Afghan thing was particularly stupid. Given the general reputation for deviousness that Britain has in that part of the world, setting up an ex-Taliban army (which was how it looked to the locals) would seem like the first step to a coup.

Security is one thing. Pissing on the government that you keep proclaiming as sovereign is just.... ZanuLabour behaviour.

 

[tomahawk6]

In a related article the security situation is looking up in Basra.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jau8cyaqusv7BMEs2SCe0aFbTabA

Basra residents welcome Iraq army crackdown
18 hours ago

BASRA, Iraq (AFP) — Three weeks after Iraqi troops swarmed into the southern city of Basra to take on armed militiamen who had overrun the streets, many residents say they feel safer and that their lives have improved.

The fierce fighting which marked the first week of Operation Sawlat al-Fursan (Charge of the Knights) has given way to slower, more focused house-by-house searches by Iraqi troops, which led on Monday to the freeing of an abducted British journalist.

Residents say the streets have been cleared of gunmen, markets have reopened, basic services have been resumed and a measure of normality has returned to the oil-rich city.

The port of Umm Qasr is in the hands of the Iraqi forces who wrested control of the facility from Shiite militiamen, and according to the British military it is operational once again.

 

[Perturbed]

Well, if you keep telling them they are the government they may get funny ideas - such as not liking people setting up/helping armed grouped opposed to said government. Or thinking that they run the place.

Put it like this - if it turned out that government X decided to help out in NI by setting up a nice training camp for the IRA and had talks with them about taking over the government of South Armagh, I'm betting that you wouldn't be impressed.

The Afghan thing was particularly stupid. Given the general reputation for deviousness that Britain has in that part of the world, setting up an ex-Taliban army (which was how it looked to the locals) would seem like the first step to a coup.

Security is one thing. Pissing on the government that you keep proclaiming as sovereign is just.... ZanuLabour behaviour.

Please explain yourself better!

ie:
WTF are you talking about?

 

[Walter_Walt]

Don't you recall the fuss recently - British chaps getting kicked out of Afghanistan, Lord Pants Down not getting the job of Imperial Overlord?

Apparently the cunning chaps came up with a brilliant scheme. Terry Taliban would be persuaded to come down from the hills and be nice by being included. Included in a retraining scheme. Which included military training.

Unfortunately they forgot to mention said scheme to the current government in Kabul. Who rightly wondered why the British were planning to train a private army consisting of their enemies, and offering to hand over control of bits of their country to them.