Posted on 03/08/2006 5:12:52 PM PST by SandRat
BAGHDAD, March 6, 2006 — The crisis generated by the bombing of the Golden Dome in Samarra has subsided. As I said last week, Iraq has passed a crucial test in their journey to becoming a democratic country. There is a terrorist threat here that will stop at nothing to undermine the formation of this constitutionally elected government, a government of national unity and a government that that represents all Iraqis. They tried to make the bombing of the Golden Dome mosque the straw that broke the camel’s back and it failed. Iraqis rose to the occasion. Have no doubt, there are still sectarian tensions that the Iraqis will have to work through. However, throughout this sensitive period the Multi-National Force - Iraq will continue to monitor the situation and support the government of Iraq. The mosque incident provides insights into the changing situation in Iraq. First, we saw a return to the killing of innocent civilians as evidenced by the desperate terrorists’ attempts to subvert the government by all means. Over a three-day span in Baghdad during the unrest there were 71 deaths and 62 others injured because of a blitz of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, a suicide vest attack and an improvised explosive device. These were senseless attacks from an enemy that is desperate to stop Iraq from coming together as a nation. These attacks are in line with a trend that we continue to see, an increased amount of civilian casualties.
Second, we saw a maturing capability by the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army to cooperate and operate effectively in providing domestic order during demonstrations and in dealing with militias around the country.
Iraqi security ministries and Iraqi Security Forces leadership directed the operations and the Coalition responded in a supporting role. The Iraqi Transitional Government reacted decisively by imposing curfews, driving bans, making public calls for calm and effectively bringing down the levels of violence countrywide.
Along with those insights, the changing nature of the conflict and the reactions by the government and its security forces provides a glimpse into the future of Iraq. The people of Iraq will not blindly follow the lead of the terrorists - they are consciously ignoring the temptation for unrest and moving toward democracy. Additionally, this incident highlights the need for the Iraqi government to deal with the militia issue in the very near future. That is a good thing. While some may have seen militias as their protectors in the past, the proven abilities of the ISF during this incident shows the reason, and time, for militias has come to an end. Ultimately, Iraq cannot succeed until the Iraqi Security Forces - the police and the military - are the only ones in Iraq with guns.
Those difficult few days in Iraq came at a sensitive time. While the danger is not completely past, the Iraqis have again risen to the occasion against the terror that is trying to deny them their future, and they won.
PING
Disappointments galore in MSM-Dimsville.
Yes, the MSM is blind.
Not sure, but there is no way Iraqis are surrendering their guns.
I'm with you. I do not get it.
Nor do I understand why we have gone this far, only to install another Islamic republic in place of the old.
Make no mistake, this is a country defined by its new Konstitution to be an Islamic Republic, a fact that is not spoken of much. The laws of Islam are supreme here. Never mind that they contradict most of the spirit and letter of the US Constitution.
I wonder if the American people would have supported invasion if they knew that ultimately, an Islamic republic would have ultimately been installed, as it has.
I thought we were against any state-supported religion. Oh well, I guess if you are doing it to another country it is OK.
George Washington would not be pleased with this Iraq thing.
BTTT
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