Impossible to defeat Iraq violence with military might alone: US expert

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041202/pl_afp/iraq_us_security&cid=1521&ncid=1473

GENEVA (AFP) - The US-led military alone will never end the violence in Iraq (news - web sites), a former coalition advisor said, noting that better skilled Iraqi security forces and more public support are vital to restore stability.

In addition, failure to hold national elections on January 30 may spark another uprising among militants in the Shiite Muslim majority, which had been relatively calm since clashes in April and August, said David Gompert.

The rebellion was more vicious, organised and sophisticated now than when toppled president Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) was captured almost a year ago, said the ex-senior advisor for national security and defence to the Coalition Provisional Authority, which handed power to Iraq's interim government in June.

"It is an insurgency which, while small and easily defeated when it can be met on a force-on-force basis, is nevertheless very difficult to deal with because of the way it has mutated since the capture of Saddam Hussein," Gompert told a conference organised by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

A hard core of rebels comprised trained killers from Saddam's old regime, said the expert, who once advised former US president George H W Bush.

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[htuttle]

1. "A hard core of rebels comprised trained killers from Saddam's old regime"

In other words, former Iraqi military personnel. "Trained Killers" is so much more emotive, though, isn't it?

Good thing Bremer dissolved the Iraqi army and left all those guys with no jobs, no money, and no prospects, eh?

Dumbasses.

[leftchick]

2. aren't all soldiers 'trained killers'?

:shrug:

[htuttle]

3. I should hope so

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. left all those guys with no jobs, no money, and no prospects, eh?

Hey.... what do you want?? They have their "freedom".... that should be enough to cover it.

[Lizzie Borden]

5. um...duh???

[Gyre]

6. It's not about ending the violence!

What it is about is shifting American tax dollars into Halliburton and the defense industries bottom-line, AND, securing those precious pipelines, AND keeping the 14 permanent military bases in place.

Gyre

[I Love Alaska]

7. You're so right!!!