Tuesday, March 21, 2006

And Another Lesson From Vietnam

Don't count on the local forces being able to defeat the insurgents.

The US Military has done an excellent job of forcing the insurgents in Iraq underground. Their direct attacks on US forces almost always end in abject failure. They do not stand a chance against the US military.

That doesn't mean that they are always ineffective.

Insurgents stormed a jail about dawn Tuesday in the Sunni Muslim heartland north of Baghdad, killing at least 17 policemen and a courthouse guard. Authorities said all 33 prisoners in the lockup were freed and 10 attackers were killed in the battle.

{snip}

After torching the police station, the insurgents detonated a string of roadside bombs as they fled, taking the bodies of many of their dead comrades with them, police said. At least 13 policemen and civilians and 15 gunmen were wounded in the attack.


This was an attack against a hard target, and it was very successful. When facing a foe that lacks air power, and high tech detection devices, the insurgents do present a real threat to the government's forces.

The hard truth is it will be years and years before the Iraqi military can stand up to anywhere near he level needed to defeat a widespread insurgency.

One other small point.

If the attackers removed their dead, how does the Iraqi or US government know ten insurgents were killed?




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1 comment:

I am an american fundamentalist said...

the small point is the top of your head!