Despite much being made of the so-called August timetable that would spell an end to “combat” missions in Iraq and cut the US forces to about 50,000, SOCOM head Admiral Eric Olson today announced that this would not affect his troops, which are involved in some of the heaviest combat.
“The special operations forces are not experiencing a drawdown in Iraq,” Olson insisted, adding that the 50,000 troops scheduled to stay behind would have a “continuing mission” to support their operations.
The admiral gave no indication that there was a separate drawdown timetable at all for the 4,500 SOCOM forces in Iraq, saying that his conversations with Gens. Petraeus and Odierno suggested that they were planning to sustain that level going forward.
There have been discussions for months that the August drawdown would be slowed or even stopped altogether amid rising violence in the nation, but the comments by Admiral Olson today suggest that the speculative drawdown strategy had never included his forces, and that the administration never had any intention of stopping combat operations in August.
And of course a written agreement by two parties are always open to a onesided reinterpretation, or at any time a reversal, by the Americans.
" and that the administration never had any intention of stopping combat operations in August"
The eternal repeat of the phrase "God bless America" is of course needed, since they seem to be unfailingly a bad an proud people of Übermenschen.
For one reason or another Disney World comes to mind.
I am correct in thinking that Special Operations casualties are not made public?
You are correct sir…unless it needs to sway public opinion…ie Black Hawk Down
You need to look larger than the latest news release. Special Operations Forces (SOF) are assisting the Iraqi military and police forces in counterterrorism. They still struggle with massive crime, malign foreign interference (NOT the US), and the ubiquitous Sunni versus Shia struggle for global domination. all of which create sometimes uncontrollable instability. The government of Iraq is not in control of Iraq, it is merely part of a balance of competing interests. Tpart of the final phase of counterinsurgency is ensuring that the host nation can at secure its own people. They are genuinely trying to do that.
I know these things because I am here, doing it now.
I had to laugh out loud at your phrase "secure its own people," since in military parlance the word "secure" can mean to "secure a physical grip on," as in "soldier, secure that radio and follow me." In regards the Iraqi government, this army lingo might be surprisingly applicable. As Justin Raimondo said in a recent blog, referring to Ayad Allawi's proclivity for brutality, "In the end, one has to ask: is this what all those people died for – so that a thug *not* named Saddam Hussein could place his boot on the throats of the Iraqi people?" ( http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2010/03/28/who… )
With all due respect – the SOF – is hardly a benevolent assistant to the Iraqi military or police forces. They struggle with a populace that wants them and the rest of the US forces out of their country.
The invasion and destruction of Iraq has been – a total failure.
llegal, immoral & criminal – it is even acknowledged as a colossal mistake by the GOP Party of the United States.
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/03/18/gop-con…
"Counterinsurgency" for the SOF – ISOF is just another word for murder.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090622/bauer
And others
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti…
It's really funny, let's all have a good laugh.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article…
If you are there – doing it now…please Stop!
The portrait of Admiral Eric Olson accompanying this article –with his clasped hands; his precisely controlled smile and demeanor portraying utmost dignity and superconfidence in himself and the "rightness" of whatever mission assigned to him by his chain of command; the golden stripes on the forearms of his navy blue jacket; the array of his zillion rainbow-colored ribbons pinned onto the chest of his jacket; and of course the US flag in the background– certainly looks awfully impressive!