Are we playing whack-a-mole in Iraq?

The Coffee Shop
1

Hit 'em in Falluja, they pop up in Mosul. Hit 'em there, they pop up in Ramadi. Meanwhile, they pop up again in Falluja after we left.

I read the article by the former head of the bin Laden group in the CIA, and I wonder how we can possibly win by driving the insurgents out of one city after another, unless we plan on continuing to occupy each city.

4

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3998425.stm

Cheers Torsten
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6

My point is that unless we occupy every house, the insurgents will just move somewhere that we aren’t. Seems like that has happened in Samarra after we left.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/10/international/middleeast/10insurgency.html

10

Can’t leave. We don’t get to go in, break the country, and then leave before it’s back on its feet. think what you want about how we got where we are, but we’re there now. Leaving will only serve to lose us more international legitimacy, and give terrorists a valid reason to tell the arab world we don’t care about them. Leaving is not a good idea.

12

I wouldn’t say “every house”, but we clearly need more boots on the ground to provide security. A lot more boots…

13

I wouldn’t say “every house”, but we clearly need more boots on the ground to provide security. A lot more boots…

But, but…oh, nevermind.

14

“secure major population centers to provide safe places for the Iraqis to vote…
That is the plan.”

Hope it works but might be questionable.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041024/wl_nm/iraq_elections_boycott_dc_2

15

Who do you think these people are? They’ve been living in fear of their lives for decades. The insurgents are mostly old Republican guard types, the very guys that used to help wreak havoc in the communities. There is not yet any reason for the locals to think anyone can protect them from the bad guys if they speak out. Why do you think they are going to just up and start to act like Americans?