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August 27, 2004
Stanlingrad, Sarajevo, Beirut, Dresden or Najaf
The Washington Post has an article about the destruction to the city of Najaf that basically spells out what I have been pointing out for a long time. Our overwhelming firepower combined with an extreme reluctance towards our own casualties and a near total disregard for ours is resulting in a horrific situation, politically, militarily and morally:
But the core of the city around it, a destination of longing for millions of Shiite Muslims, is so mauled that American commanders debate which famously ruined wartime cityscape Najaf now resembles most."It's like Stalingrad," a senior 5th Cavalry officer said.
"Sarajevo," Rainey maintained.
"Beirut," a Marine commander said.
"Not Dresden," an Army field officer said while standing watch at a panorama of blackened, half-destroyed buildings a few dozen yards north of the glittering shrine. "Not enough fire."
The damage to Najaf is the consequence of an urban setting for battle, a woefully overmatched enemy and an American military doctrine that unites terrifying firepower with almost zero tolerance for casualties in its own ranks.
"If we take fire from it, we destroy the whole building," Lt. Col. Myles Miyamasu said Thursday, after he ordered junior officers in his headquarters to do just that against a structure the Mahdi Army militia, the enemy here, was using as a firebase.
And the line that has been repeated by American commanders is that it was Sadr's people who chose to hole up in the city and the shrine, not the Americans. That's good for domestic propaganda here but it's not going to move too many people in Iraq or in the Islamic world. The occupying power does not get to convince the "natives" that the occupiers have the right to pursue whomever, however and wherever, and all casualties inflicted are to be blamed on the insurgents.
Add to this mix the fact that Najaf is a major center for pilgrimage. The destruction will be seen and experienced by many more people than the residents of Najaf.
Posted by zeynep at August 27, 2004 12:21 AM
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Comments
Even with all its might and firepower the American military is still rendered incompetent by its own stupidity and counter-productive practices and maneuvers. Because of its might and firepower, and the illegality of this occupation of Iraq everything that the American military does in the field is completely criminal and indefensible. Najaf is but the latest brutal example. It is sad to be an American given such a criminal and immoral foreign policy and such a criminal and immoral military machine. But it is even sadder to be Iraqi and be directly under the thumb of such criminality and immorality. The International Criminal Court and the rest of the world needs to step in and stop this violent occupation and violation of the Iraqi peoples' right to life. And we Americans need to step up and stop our own government from its imperialist conquests.
Sincerely,
Old & In The Way
Posted by: Phil Cicchi at August 27, 2004 02:51 AM