Thursday, the operative phrase was, “ No U.S. troops in
combat.” The advisors will working from
desks and will not take part in shooting engagements.
Friday the operative phrase somehow shifted to ,”Advisors
will be embedded with Iraqi units. They
may defend their selves, but only after being fired upon by insurgents.”
Today the
message is that the advisors will be taking part in combat operations. Not only is this political duplicity, it
places our “advisors” at grave risk.
The official
line is that our advisors need to assess the capabilities of the Iraqi army
units. We know their capabilities, we’ve
spent the last decade training them to provide their own security. Obviously, the lessons didn’t sink in. What makes anyone believe that 300 or so Spec
Ops troops will be able to impart loyalty for a government that is more
concerned with religious payback for centuries of fratricide than with building
a working nation that considers the needs of all its citizens.
The official spiel
is that our troops will be there to call in the fast movers, bombers, and other
air strike assets if they deem the situation requires them. Our troops will designate and provide Bomb
Damage Assessments. The Pentagon,
supporting our civilian leaders, talks about another round of teaching Iraqis
to fight their own battles. Some mention
was made of teaching them to control air assets. That’s the part that requires
a lot of salt to swallow. We own and use a lot of high tech toys and
tools to practice the modern arts of warfare.
We’ve been known to share this technology with our most trusted allies;
Great Britain, Canada, a few other nations.
Does anyone believe that we are going to hand such equipment over to the
Iraqi army? I’d rather dump it off
carrier decks ala 1975 than let the Iraqis sell it on the black market or give
it to Iran.
The risk of
ramping up a 3rd Iraqi war is increasing daily. The first time we lose an advisor to ISIS,
the chicken hawks will be screaming for more troops to be inserted to protect
our advisors. Count on it. I’ve seen it happen. Been there, got the t-shirt.
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