Iraqis Progress in Conditions for Troop Withdrawal, Official Says (1 Viewer)

[Tetracide]

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2005 - Iraqis are continuing progress toward meeting the two primary conditions for the reduction of coalition forces in Iraq, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman said today.

In a press briefing from Baghdad, Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, a Multinational Force Iraq deputy chief of staff, stressed that the decision to move U.S. troops out of Iraq will be based primarily on the political process in the country and on the training and capability of Iraqi security forces.

But if progress continues the way it has, it is possible that there could be "fairly substantial reductions" in coalition forces after the elections in December, Lynch said. He noted that the coalition is not setting timelines on conditions for troop withdrawal. "The timelines are not relevant," he said. "What is relevant is that those conditions are indeed met."

"We see significant progress on the political process," Lynch said. The Iraqis are on track to meet the Aug. 15 deadline for drafting a constitution, he said.

"We're optimistic that since they've got the right people now talking through the issues, that there will be progress ... and they will adhere to the timeline that's been established," he said.

Polls show that the Iraqi people have increased confidence in their government, are optimistic about the future and intend to vote in the referendum and election, Lynch said. Talks with Sunni leaders have given coalition officials confidence that up to 80 percent of Sunni Arabs will participate in the elections, he added.

Iraqi security forces also continue to progress in training and operations, Lynch said. This week, 41 brigade-level operations were conducted throughout Iraq, all of which were combined efforts of coalition and Iraqi forces. Also, two sectors in Iraq - one in Baghdad and one in the Diyala province - have been turned over to the control of Iraqi forces, he said.

"We are amazed, on a daily basis, with the capabilities and improvements of the Iraqi security forces," he said.

Reconstruction efforts throughout Iraq are further strengthening the country's development, Lynch said. Construction began this week on a $13.1 million electrical distribution project that will bring power to about 128,000 residents in Sadr City, and a $17.2 million maternity and children's hospital there is about 40 percent complete, he said. Both projects are slated to be completed by the spring of next year.
_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Aug2005/20050811_2393.html.

I, and I assume many of us, are looking forward to having our brave men and women return home with the honor they deserve. This is just a quick update on how things are moving towards that end, and I think it is a big thumbs up for all of us.

 

[Napoleon's Nightingale]

I, and I assume many of us, are looking forward to having our brave men and women return home with the honor they deserve. This is just a quick update on how things are moving towards that end, and I think it is a big thumbs up for all of us.

Didn't we hear that same speech a year ago when we were told our troops would be reduced..low and behold they're still there. Why do American lives depend on a foreign government?

 

[SKILMATIC]

Its not about depending on a foreign government. Its about securing another nations, mans freedom. If our government and military officials have the slightest doubt that the Iraqi people cant sustain on there own; then i beleive it is our duty to ensure the domestic tranquility of a nation we have so paid so many ultimate sacrifices for. If we dont get this right the first time we are back at square one and the lives that were lost or the blood that was spilled was for nothing. I want our men and women who are there to be back asap as well. They are the true heroes of the world, and I am honored to be apart of this nation.

 

[cnredd]

Its not about depending on a foreign government. Its about securing another nations, mans freedom. If our government and military officials have the slightest doubt that the Iraqi people cant sustain on there own; then i beleive it is our duty to ensure the domestic tranquility of a nation we have so paid so many ultimate sacrifices for. If we dont get this right the first time we are back at square one and the lives that were lost or the blood that was spilled was for nothing. I want our men and women who are there to be back asap as well. They are the true heroes of the world, and I am honored to be apart of this nation.

Welcome to Debate Politics, SKILMATIC!:2wave:

An excellent opening remark!:smile:

 

[Napoleon's Nightingale]

Its not about depending on a foreign government. Its about securing another nations, mans freedom. If our government and military officials have the slightest doubt that the Iraqi people cant sustain on there own; then i beleive it is our duty to ensure the domestic tranquility of a nation we have so paid so many ultimate sacrifices for. If we dont get this right the first time we are back at square one and the lives that were lost or the blood that was spilled was for nothing. I want our men and women who are there to be back asap as well. They are the true heroes of the world, and I am honored to be apart of this nation.

:lol: I believe I said this in another post..the business of this country is OUR buisness not the affairs of other countries. Let them pay for it..I don't want my tax payer dollars wasted on a war with no clear reason for being. Meddling in the affairs of another nation is not acceptable.

 

[SKILMATIC]

Well thanks for the welcome cnredd, and coming from the city of brotherly love(I wasborn there). Well I have been a fan of politics for years and someone told me there are alot of great debating forums so I decided to jump on this band wagon so to say.

Now to Mr. Napoleon nightengale. I beleive it is always a need to investigate the welfare of other nations whether you like it or not other nations do have influences on our beloved America. If you cannot understand this simple notion; I will then tell you to educate yourself on the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the 9/11 attacks. It was becasue of this neglageance of our surrounding nations and our enemies throughout the world is impartly the reason why we got attacked.

Now we can sit here and blow sunshine up each others behinds all day whether or not our going to war with the enemy is going to make them not terrorize anymore. But let me just tell you this, at least we are doing something and not sitting around saying I wonder when they will hit next? I would rather be doing something about the problem then do nothing at all.

 

[Navy Pride]

I, and I assume many of us, are looking forward to having our brave men and women return home with the honor they deserve. This is just a quick update on how things are moving towards that end, and I think it is a big thumbs up for all of us.

Thank you very much for the update.........Sadly news like this will not get published by the liberal media in the U.S. but we know the truth anyhow.......

 

[Napoleon's Nightingale]

Well thanks for the welcome cnredd, and coming from the city of brotherly love(I wasborn there). Well I have been a fan of politics for years and someone told me there are alot of great debating forums so I decided to jump on this band wagon so to say.

Now to Mr. Napoleon nightengale. I beleive it is always a need to investigate the welfare of other nations whether you like it or not other nations do have influences on our beloved America. If you cannot understand this simple notion; I will then tell you to educate yourself on the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the 9/11 attacks. It was becasue of this neglageance of our surrounding nations and our enemies throughout the world is impartly the reason why we got attacked.

Now we can sit here and blow sunshine up each others behinds all day whether or not our going to war with the enemy is going to make them not terrorize anymore. But let me just tell you this, at least we are doing something and not sitting around saying I wonder when they will hit next? I would rather be doing something about the problem then do nothing at all.

We were attacked because of our lack of intelligence, the nationalistic belief that we were invulnerable, and because of miscomunication. I believe that the war in afghanistan was justified because our offenders were there however it should not have taken an attack on american soil for us to go after them. Something should have been done after Al Qaeda bombed the USS Cole back in Clinton's presidency. The Iraq War I disagree with because Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11, there were no Al Qaeda connections, Iraq was not a sanction for it's members, there were no WMDs, it was not a threat to the U.S., and we have no buisiness dictating how foreign leaders should run their governments. The shrub himself said that it is a war to "spread democracy throughout the middle east." I do not approve of it.,. the purpose of the military is to defend the U.S. not to run amuk, not to impose the will of the president on a foreign country, and certainly not to use force to influence the creation/downfall of a foreign government. However you are entitled to your opinion and I respect that.
It's my first day as well heh and as you can tell I'm very passionate about politics..I'm sure my positions on the government may suprise you. Welcome :smile:

 

[Navy Pride]

Its not about depending on a foreign government. Its about securing another nations, mans freedom. If our government and military officials have the slightest doubt that the Iraqi people cant sustain on there own; then i beleive it is our duty to ensure the domestic tranquility of a nation we have so paid so many ultimate sacrifices for. If we dont get this right the first time we are back at square one and the lives that were lost or the blood that was spilled was for nothing. I want our men and women who are there to be back asap as well. They are the true heroes of the world, and I am honored to be apart of this nation.

Excellent analysis, thank you........

 

[cnredd]

We were attacked because of our lack of intelligence, the nationalistic belief that we were invulnerable, and because of miscomunication.

I always thought it was terrorists....

 

[Napoleon's Nightingale]

I always thought it was terrorists....

I didn't say we were attacked by those things I said that those things are reasons WHY we were successfully attacked.

 

[Billo_Really]

Polls show that the Iraqi people have increased confidence in their government, are optimistic about the future and intend to vote in the referendum and election, Lynch said.

To be fair and balanced, here's a voice from an average Iraqi living there now without any political motivation or gain. It paints a little different picture than the first post of this thread. If you really cared about what the Iraqi's think, read on...

Where is the government?
By Ali al-Jaberi Azzaman, August 9, 2005

By any standards our government is a total failure. So what is it that prevents its collapse? Many in the first place do not believe that there is a functioning government in Iraq. Otherwise how could a responsible government remain silent vis-à-vis the calamities that are descending on the nation?

Nothing seems to function properly in Iraq and the government has almost no control whatsoever over the course of events. It cannot issue orders to U.S. troops who are in effect the real masters. In fact the government owes its existence to their presence. And because the government feels safe so long as the troops are around, it apparently sees no reason to move and put its house in order. And the troops themselves are here because they are striving to put our house in order. They have failed and there is no sign they will ever succeed. So they are needed so long as our misery continues.

The equation, many say, is crystal clear. The government is in urgent need of the occupation for protection and the occupation is in a way happy with the status quo despite its tragedies because it gives it some form of legitimacy to continue. Therefore our prime minister and his ministers do not bother at all for the way things are being run. They do not care if there is no electricity. It is no longer their duty to have food rationing system functioning to help millions of Iraqis make ends meet.

No one bears the responsibility for our calamities as if they are not of the government’s making. No minister has ever leveled with the Iraqi people and blamed his ministry’s performance for the deteriorating public services. More than two years after the occupation the Ministry of Oil still cannot make enough fuel available though we are the envy of the world for our oil riches.

We have turned to net fuel importers in these two years, wasting hundreds of millions dollars. Corruption and crime are on the rise and stories abound of senior officials giving contracts to front companies they have set up in Dubai, Beirut, London and other world capitals.

The spate of car bomb attacks, killing and murder of innocent people and the spread of mafia-like gangs in major cities are now part of our daily life.

While we bear the brunt of the chaos, many of our senior officials, including cabinet members and heads of some political parties either reside abroad or have their families settled in a foreign country.

There is nothing of the prosperity, equity and hopes the government made when it took office nearly five months ago. On the contrary, conditions have deteriorated beyond any expectations. But still these officials love their chairs and stick to their money-spinning posts. Therefore we have not seen a minister with enough courage to resign protesting these conditions.

The government and the league surrounding it know that they are total failures, but they have no intention to acknowledge the fiasco they are in and the tragedies they have created for us. A responsible government would have admitted its blunders, apologized to the Iraqi people and resigned to give way to more efficient leaders to lead. But it seems it is not in the interest of our rulers to have things under control. Prosperity, stability and security, once achieved, will be a blow to their ends. Because if the bombs stop, food is made available, electricity returns, crime is checked and the country is back on its feet, all the Iraqi people will then turn their attention to the most pressing issue – how to drive occupation troops out of the country.

It does not need a genius to understand that both the government and the occupation need each other and both thrive on our miseries.

http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=editorial\2005-08-09\10479.htm

 

[SKILMATIC]

Napoleon as much as I respect your opinions as well please do not forget neglegence or mis-communication wasnt the casue of our 9/11 attack. cnredd is wright it was the insoding of the terrorists and impartly(like I said before)becasue we didnt go after them when they hit our beautiful navy ship USS Cole(you are wright on that we shouldve done something about them when they did that). Well we didnt and now look what happened. So now that we have decided to do something about it you dont agree. I dont get it?

Again I said b4 we can blow sunshine up each others behinds all day about the Iraq war. You dont know if there were WMD's were there becasue were you ever there? And how do you know they werent given to a neighboring nation? You and I simply dont know and we will perhaps never know. And Iraq was nowhere near peace my friend. Saddam murdering several thousand if not millions of his own people is nowhere near peace, sir. As much as you think there were no terrorists connections deeply inbedded in Iraqs borders you are highly mistaken. Iraq was just as connected to those who were involved in the 9/11 attack as Afghanistan was.

But who cares about all that. I beleive just the fact of being able to free a nation from Saddams regime was one of the greates things our nation has ever done for another nation. Whether you agree with the reasons we went in there or not I think it was a just thing to do becasue now people are free. Never in mans history have you seen a nation got to war not for land or religion or resources but to free another nations people. That my friend is honorable. And our military deserves all the respect and our love that they can get.

 

[Napoleon's Nightingale]

Napoleon as much as I respect your opinions as well please do not forget neglegence or mis-communication wasnt the casue of our 9/11 attack. cnredd is wright it was the insoding of the terrorists and impartly(like I said before)becasue we didnt go after them when they hit our beautiful navy ship USS Cole(you are wright on that we shouldve done something about them when they did that). Well we didnt and now look what happened. So now that we have decided to do something about it you dont agree. I dont get it?

Again I said b4 we can blow sunshine up each others behinds all day about the Iraq war. You dont know if there were WMD's were there becasue were you ever there? And how do you know they werent given to a neighboring nation? You and I simply dont know and we will perhaps never know. And Iraq was nowhere near peace my friend. Saddam murdering several thousand if not millions of his own people is nowhere near peace, sir. As much as you think there were no terrorists connections deeply inbedded in Iraqs borders you are highly mistaken. Iraq was just as connected to those who were involved in the 9/11 attack as Afghanistan was.

But who cares about all that. I beleive just the fact of being able to free a nation from Saddams regime was one of the greates things our nation has ever done for another nation. Whether you agree with the reasons we went in there or not I think it was a just thing to do becasue now people are free. Never in mans history have you seen a nation got to war not for land or religion or resources but to free another nations people. That my friend is honorable. And our military deserves all the respect and our love that they can get.

Read the 9/11 commission report my friend..it clearly states that Saddam had no connections and no tolleration for Al Qaeda. There has been no evidence of WMDs proven by a special task force of scientists and soldiers assigned to find evidence and the weapons themselves and there's no evidence of an active WMD program and Bush himself admitted this. There's also no evidence that any weapons were transported to neighboring countries..the administration has shown sattelite photos but they provide no conclusive evidence..as one man put it "I see buildings but for all anyone knows they could be bowling allies and I see trucks but for all I know they could be carrying soda or people fleeing an iminent invasion." In fact..Saddam didn't really do much..it was his sons that basically ruled the country and made decisions.
Now I have something rather shocking to ask you. Why do you think Saddam is an evil man? Because we've been told that he is or because of the actions of his sons? He has given some interesting statements at one of his hearings..for example the gassing of the kurds. The kurds were basically at war with Saddam..they led a revolt against him.He said that a man who had attempted to assasinate him came from the town that was gassed and that he wanted to root out any possible accomplises and teach them a lesson. He said that the gas was still being tested and it's effects were at the time unkown, that he did not give the order to release it into the populace, and that he placed one of his sons in charge of finding the assailants..not to commit genocide. Is it plausible? I believe so. Is it likely? I don't really know. Saddam certainly made some poor choices..placing his own personal desires above the standard of living of his people is just one. It is possible that Saddam placed his sons in charge of some opperations so that if anything went sour he could have plausible denyability but who knows. But I would like to see more evidence of Saddam's intentions other than Bush calling him and "evil dictator" before I form an opinion. In my opinion saying that Saddam commited genocide without providing proof of an intention to commit genocide other than "because he hated the kurds" is like saying that scientists intentionally caused a melt down at Chernoble (sp?).

 

[Billo_Really]

Originally posted by SKILMATIC:
You dont know if there were WMD's were there becasue were you ever there?

Don't you think if they would have had them, we would have shown them? Even the Bush Administration admitted they were giving up looking because they didn't find any [after they went on record saying "we know Iraq has them, and we know where they are"].

Originally posted by SKILMATIC:
And how do you know they werent given to a neighboring nation?

Because we have satallite technology that can take a picture of a license plate on a car! It's not hard to spot a bunch of trucks going into Iran.

 

[SKILMATIC]

I never said Saddam was I simply said Iraq as a whole had connections to terrorism and sadaam didnt directly have a connection to 9/11but his henchmen did. You are basically saying Hitler had nothing to do with the extermination of the jews. Same analyzation.

And yes I have read 9/11 commission(well more skimmed through it). And yes although it says there may be no evidence it doesnt mean theres not evidence out there. Again you are saying basically wind doesnt exist. Just becuase you cant see it clearly doesnt mean its not there or it never existed. O and just becasue it was his sons we shouldve turned our heads and looked the other way? Now c'mon mr. napoleon you are getting a little off tangeant here.

Ok I am going to answer that question. By telling you with all due respect you obviously have never been to Iraq and you have no idea what you are talking about except for what you read or hear. Now with that said let me enlighten you alittle here. Yes the curds revolted. However, they didnt revolt with guns or other very harmful weapons they had no more than the chineese had in tienemen square. Now you ask yourself this. Why did SAdaam have to use chemical gas to take these people out? Not to mention he gased not just men but women and children were amongst the dead. Wow I didnt know 5year old kids were that much of a threat to sadaam? And he didnt do this to 5or 10 people but tens of thousands.

Whether it was his sons or not they were placed in there positions by sadaams hand and insoding tht alone makes him responsible in every action his sons made.

Let me ask you this? If we revolted against our commander in cheif for not agreeing with him and hwe did so by pitch forks and rocks would it be ok for our president to gas all of us to death? End of discussion.

 

[SKILMATIC]

Whoever said they were transported by trucks? And you cant always detect weapons. Look, the answer is simple the land mass of iraq is the size of california I can think if a ton load of hiding spots in the land mass of cali to hide some WMD's. We will never know and i could care less of WMD'S anyway

 

[Billo_Really]

Originally posted by SKILMATIC:
We will never know and i could care less of WMD'S anyway

We do know, by virtue of Hans Blix final report on Iraq.

If you care less, why bring the subject up in the first place?

 

[Napoleon's Nightingale]

Whoever said they were transported by trucks? And you cant always detect weapons. Look, the answer is simple the land mass of iraq is the size of california I can think if a ton load of hiding spots in the land mass of cali to hide some WMD's. We will never know and i could care less of WMD'S anyway

You're reaching pretty far with some of your arguments.. you're grasping for straws especially in one. There isn't evidence but it might be out there somewhere? Hmmm..after all the billons spent, manpower, and other resources used its not likely. See..there's evidence of the wind..it moves things, we can feel it etc..there's no evidence of any connection and Saddam's policy toward Al Qaeda is hostile therefore we reasonably conclude that there wasn't a connection. Because there MIGHT have been members of Al Qaeda in Iraq which Saddam didn't provide sanctuary for and probably didn't know about it makes Iraq guilty? Well if thats your argument we might as well invade ourselves, England, France, Germany, Spain, and Pakistan. Interesting...for someone so bent on enouraging the same rights we have to blossom in Iraq you're ignoring one of the fundamental rights. Innocent until proven guilty. Heresay, biased testimony, etc.. does not prove a man guilty of a crime. In my opinion the only thing they can reasonbly convict Saddam of is conspiracy to commit crimes..at least thats what one is convicted of here if you didn't acctually commit the crime but were party to it.

Our prize for revolting against Bush is evasion, body bags, and falsehoods. Is this in anyway right? No.

 

[Tetracide]

So you have really, truly swallowed the notion that there was no relationship between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, probably the two people on Earth who hate America more than anyone else alive (which might be a generous assumption where Osama's concerned). Well, I'll be damned. I'd better send you a phone card so you can break the news to past-Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi, who's been quoted by CNN, FrontPageMag.com and The Weekly Standard, among many others, as insisting that such dealings and such a relationship did, in fact, exist. While you're at it, you'd also better tell Richard Miniter, GlobalSecurity.org, Bill Clinton, and the 9-11 Commission, since they also seem to have been laboring under similar misconceptions.

 

[MSgt]

Terrorism is bred from the perversion of their religion. Dictators and the House of Saud use Clerics to oppress their people. From this oppression comes the hate that is directed on to us and Israel - After all, that's what their religious leaders tell them. They wouldn't lie, because they speak for "Allah". Until the people in the Middle East have more control over their lives and are not subjected, or at least as susceptible, to the hate speech of their rich leaders, terrorism was going to just grow. Iraq was the best place to start. The spread of Democracy or the spread of terrorism will be obvious to us all in the years to follow.

Every perverted cleric, dictator, royal family, and oppressed citizen of the Middle East had something to do with 9/11 and every terrorist attack since 1949 against America. These attacks exist because we choose to stand between Muslim nations and the one Jewish nation in existence. These attacks have escalated over the years until 9/11 woke civilians up. It would appear that some are still asleep and not willing to look at the ugly truth of our enemy. As long as we stand behind Israel, they cannot do any thing about it and they don't like it. Their temper tantrums involve the murder of our people. Arresting up the few direct terrorists and leaving the sources to walk the streets is like applying a band-aid to a heart attack. Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Momar Khadafi, and other figureheads of Islamic leadership, is not the problem. The problem is Middle Eastern Islam itself. They have been digressing back to the days before their prophet Muhammad and have been resorting to human sacrifice in the name of Islam. They are becoming a cult. No Islamic people outside of the Middle East practice and glorify such paganistic behavior. One day, after more ritual beheadings in the name of their god, I believe more people will come to realize this.

The general truth is that Arabs do not target children, however, there is enough of them that do and enough of them that support the murderers throughout the Middle East that have followed in their teachings. Corruption and hypocrisy may be elements of the human condition, but Arab elites have developed them to a superhuman extreme. The House of Saud have used the Koran and it's clerics to keep their people in line as they horde all of the money made by selling their people's energy resource to the world. If they could, they would steal the air itself and charge the poor for breathing. They are to blame for much of the perversion of the Islamic faith in the Middle East. The Arab clerecs, especially, will remain guilty-in great part-for every murder committed by Muslim extremists from all over the region. They created the monsters who now dictate their version of Islam. In the Middle East, blaming others for every problem is the narcotic of choice.

To attack this problem, the citizens have to be less susceptible to force fed Cleric hate speech, which is used to control them by their oppressors. This means they have to be afforded the opportunities to view media outside of the propagandas Al-Jazeera so that they can realize that America is not the reason for their oppression and their 1st Century type life styles. Sparking change by attacking into the heartland of Islamic perversion and oppression is exactly what Iraq offered us. We've already won. The voting polls were proof. They have tasted a better life; and they know with stability it will improve. If one doubts that they can do it, one only has to look at the example set by the Kurds in the North.

 

[Tetracide]

Perfectly articulated. Wonderful post GySgt.

 

[cnredd]

Perfectly articulated. Wonderful post GySgt.

Agreed...When Gunny takes the floor, I move to the side and listen intentively.

 

[Napoleon's Nightingale]

Perfectly articulated. Wonderful post GySgt.

HA! it's full of drastic generalizations and mischaracterizations. Unfortunatley he choses to ignore the facts brought by the 9/11 comission and the fact that the vast majority of the muslim community condemns these attacks. He's drunk on nationalism..don't let Bush pull the wool over your eyes.

 

[cnredd]

HA! it's full of drastic generalizations and mischaracterizations. Unfortunatley he choses to ignore the facts brought by the 9/11 comission and the fact that the vast majority of the muslim community condemns these attacks. He's drunk on nationalism..don't let Bush pull the wool over your eyes.

Your hatred of one man overruns your love of country...

If a Demo was elected Pres in 2008, it seems you would think there was thunder and lightning on Jan. 19th; sunshine & flowers on Jan. 20th.