As with most things Iraq related, the reaction to the recent fighting in Basra would be extremely funny if it was just another domestic American political soap opera instead of a war that kills and maims people. The story arc is so familiar that it’s become boring. Something bad happens; the White House and its cadre of fanatics declare the disaster a sign of progress; the lie eventually becomes inoperable; the war continues. The links below are to stories from The New York Times.
Wednesday – 26 March – Headline: Iraqi Crackdown on Shiite Forces Sets Off Fighting
4th paragraph: In Basra, American and British jets roared through the skies, providing air support for the Iraqi military. A British Army spokesman for southern Iraq, Maj. Tom Holloway, said that while Western forces had not entered Basra, the operation already involved nearly 30,000 Iraqi troops and police forces, with more arriving. “They are clearing the city block by block,” Major Holloway said.
Thursday – 27 March – Headline: Iraqi Army’s Assault on Militias in Basra Stalls
2nd paragraph: American officials have presented the Iraqi Army’s attempts to secure the port city as an example of its ability to carry out a major operation against the insurgency on its own. A failure there would be a serious embarrassment for the Iraqi government and for the army, as well as for American forces eager to demonstrate that the Iraqi units they have trained can fight effectively on their own.
Friday – 28 March – Headline: Assault by Iraq on Shiite Forces Stalls in Basra
1st paragraph: American-trained Iraqi security forces failed for a third straight day to oust Shiite militias from the southern city of Basra on Thursday, even as President Bush hailed the operation as a sign of the growing strength of Iraq’s federal government.
Saturday – 29 March – Headline: U.S. Airstrikes Aid Iraqi Army in Basra
2nd & 3rd paragraphs: Although American officials have emphasized that the campaign in the southern port city of Basra is directed by Iraqi forces, the Iraqis have failed so far to wrest control of neighborhoods in Basra from Shiite militias and asked the Americans and British to step in. The Iraqi military does not have jet fighters.
In Baghdad, American helicopters exchanged fire with Mahdi Army militia members in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, and rockets crashed into the office of Iraq’s Sunni vice president in the heavily fortified Green Zone, killing a security guard.
Sunday – 30 March – Headline: Shiite Militias Cling to Swaths of Basra and Stage Raids
1st paragraph: Shiite militiamen in Basra openly controlled wide swaths of the city on Saturday and staged increasingly bold raids on Iraqi government forces sent five days ago to wrest control from the gunmen, witnesses said, as Iraqi political leaders grew increasingly critical of the stalled assault.
Monday – 31 March – Headline: Cleric Suspends Battle in Basra by Shiite Militia
1st paragraph: The Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr on Sunday called for his followers to stop fighting in Basra and in turn demanded concessions from Iraq’s government, after six days in which his Mahdi Army militia has held off an American-supported Iraqi assault on the southern port city.
The substance of Mr. Sadr’s statement, released Sunday afternoon, was hammered out in elaborate negotiations over the past few days with senior Iraqi officials, some of whom traveled to Iran to meet with Mr. Sadr, according to several officials involved in the discussions.
Tuesday – 1 April – Headline: Iraq Seems Calmer After Cleric Halts Fighting
4th paragraph: The uncertainty over Mr. Sadr’s statements was underlined at a news briefing in Baghdad on Monday, where Ali al-Dabbagh, a government spokesman, dodged questions about whether Mr. Maliki would honor Mr. Sadr’s demands. When asked if the government would release Mahdi Army detainees who had not been accused of a crime, for instance, Mr. Dabbagh said there had long been plans to let some of them go.
He said the government would “look into” Mr. Sadr’s concerns.
Wednesday – 2 April – Headline: Britain Puts Troop Drawdown on Hold
6th paragraph: [British defense secretary Desmond Browne] said the use of British ground troops in the fighting was ordered “in extremis,” suggesting that the deployment of forces from the British base at Basra was a last-ditch measure to save Iraqi troops.
Thursday – 3 April – Headline: U.S. Cites Planning Gaps in Iraqi Assault on Basra
5th paragraph: The Bush administration has portrayed the Iraqi offensive in Basra as a “defining moment” – a compelling demonstration that an Iraqi government that has long been criticized for inaction has both the will and means to take on renegade militias.
Friday – 4 April – Headline: More Than 1,000 in Iraq’s Forces Quit Basra Fight
1st & 2nd paragraphs: More than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and policemen either refused to fight or simply abandoned their posts during the inconclusive assault against Shiite militias in Basra last week, a senior Iraqi government official said Thursday. Iraqi military officials said the group included dozens of officers, including at least two senior field commanders in the battle.
The desertions in the heat of a major battle cast fresh doubt on the effectiveness of the American-trained Iraqi security forces. The White House has conditioned further withdrawals of American troops on the readiness of the Iraqi military and police.
That’s a pretty neat little summation of the Basra affair. It also serves as a scale model of our entire Mesopotamian adventure, including the usual denouement where the Iraqis and the Iraqi government are cited as the root of the problem. As though, to paraphrase the evil king in Braveheart, the only trouble with Iraq is that it’s full of Iraqis. The real trouble with Iraq is that it is under an unpopular and ineffective foreign occupation.
Recall that the – ahem – surge was the government’s response to the 2006 elections, Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation and the Baker-Hamilton report. The rational was that the occupation of Iraq could be made to work with better leadership and strategy. Yet here we are a year later and very little has changed. The war continues to go downhill and whatever fresh bullshit is trotted out by those who defend its continuation cannot long conceal that simple and immutable fact.
