AUSTRALIAN
forces in Iraq could be in danger of supporting sectarian violence when they
shadow the highly factionalised new Iraqi army taking control in southern Iraq
next month.
Australian opposition defence spokesman Robert McClelland said
there was "clear evidence" that Iraqi security forces had been involved in
sectarian violence.
"The Australian Defence Force should not be seen to
be an extension of any factional elements within the Iraqi forces. We cannot
have our personnel involved or potentially implicated in sectarian violence," he
said.
A battalion of 450 Australian troops in southern Iraq will provide
back-up to the Iraqi army when it takes control of the desert province of
al-Muthanna in the first stage of a larger security transfer agreement.
I terms of a chess game, the Coalition of the willing, led by the US, have shown the strategic abilities of a rank beginner.
If there was ever any great thought put into the opening gambit, strategy began and finished there. Sure the coalition took out their opponent’s king, but where did they expect to strike after that?
Well, no where really, because they mistakenly thought that taking the king would force checkmate.
So now it is back to an old story, a lesson of history never learned, the bolstering of one set of future enemies of the US to try and rescue something out of the ensuing mess.
I don’t know how much the US and allies spend on intelligence – either the thinking type or the information assessing type, but they should ask for their money back.
On second thoughts, odd leaks suggest that the latter form of intelligence was fine, it was the former and particularly among political leaderships, which is lacking.
So here we go, whoever wins in Iraq now in a compromise to ease out of the monumental mess (and it won’t be the people) our military are going to be supporting a new set of butchers.
Great George, thanks!
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