Iraq vote date maintained despite violence, five US forces killed

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041128/wl_mideast_afp/iraq&cid=1514&ncid=1480

~snip~

Three US servicemen were killed on Sunday and two others on Friday in the western Iraqi province of Al-Anbar, said an AFP reporter embedded with the US military.


The US military could not immediately release any details of the circumstances of the deaths, the latest in one of the deadliest months for US troops in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion.


US patrols in the northern city of Mosul recovered their grim daily crop of bodies as insurgents continue to intimidate the population ahead of the poll.


"There were 17 bodies discovered on Friday -- in addition to the 15 discovered the day prior," Lieutenant Colonel Paul Hastings told AFP.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041128/ts_nm/iraq_marines_dc&cid=564&ncid=1480

NEAR ISKANDARIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - Two U.S. Marines were killed in action south of Baghdad Sunday, a Marine spokesman said.

He said they were killed in the northern part of Babil province where U.S. Marines and Iraqi and British forces have been involved in aggressive raids against Sunni insurgents for the past five days.


No further details were available.

He told me that the Marines were not making their reenlistment goals and were starting to solicit volunteers from the Navy to transfer their military occupational specialty over to the Marines. If they don't get enough volunteers for particular MOSs, the moves will become mandatory.

Bush* has destroyed our military so very badly. I say a Draft starts in Feb. 2005! :(

I had known that the military academies could mandate moves for graduates, deciding for them between the Navy and Marines based on need, but I hadn't known that was possible once one's career path had already been chosen (years ago) within a particular branch of service.

Perhaps this was the volunteerism to which Bush was referring over the holidays?

This naval officer had also told me that the naval shore jobs, after a sixth month cruise was finished, were being privatized, which means less time for those in the navy to make for family events, such as weddings, graduations, vacations etc, because they will be scheduled to be deployed more frequently, or sent TDY for training. They will not even have a 90 day window for any planning at all. He felt that this would hurt morale.

I said that perhaps the idea of morale was a thing of the past. If we waved enough flags and told our military, "Do this for the mother country," that would be enough incentive.

My friend who was with me said the Navy officer had told us that those enlisted in the navy were being asked not only to volunteer to fill Marine slots, but army slots as well. Those slots that don't get filled will be mandated filled. They will be combat positions.

but I agree there will be a draft. I think summertime. Some big emergency will be cooked up to justify it, but it will happen. It will start on a very limited basis and called something else. Then it will be expanded.

I'm a former Army officer and I know the combat units are hurting bad for parsonnel. It will either be a draft or a reduction in operations. I don't think the neocons plan to scale back operations.

to fill combat slots, opening the door to more privatization of non-combat support roles in all branches of the military, not just the army.

Once that's bled dry, then the draft.

Al-Anbar, sure seems to take a large toll on our service men.

Bush wants to be able to say that Iraqis are voting in a Democracy because of his actions even if it means hundreds killed and violence erupting throughout Iraq. The media will concentrate on showing you a select "show" precinct somewhere in an affluent neighborhood of Bagdad, but under very heavily guarded conditions to make for the perfect propaganda shot! Americans will believe that Iraq is a fledgling Democracy filled with willing participants!!

now they understand who they're dealing with </sarc>

broke the backs of the insurgents in Fallujah, 'eh? Elections will probably take place in early December now that the U.S. have 'em under control.

victory and retreat! Mark my words. It's all about making the Commander-in-Chief look good and America look strong.

It gave me some new information about the Iraq elections. It said that the main Shia religious leader has delivered a fatwa requiring the Shiites to vote and that they have had massive voter registration drives. The article stated that if the elections were postponed and this Shiite leader came out saying he was opposed to the delay, the Shiites would make the 7 days of hell described in the article look like nursery school. Perhaps the reason the Jan. date for elections is being clung to is to try and avoid this chaos. On the other hand, the article makes it clear that the possibility of holding anything close to peaceful and orderly elections is Jan. is slim. Not a good situation.

will mean for Iraq...

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FK25Ak04.html

~snip~

THE ROVING EYE
The recipe for civil war
By Pepe Escobar

Najaf was bombed in August. Samarra was bombed in September. Sadr City was bombed in October. Fallujah was bombed in November. Mosul may be bombed in December. And Kirkuk may be bombed in January.

This is the calendar in the runup to the Iraqi elections set for January 30 next year. Then there will be another set of questions. Will the Iraqi elections be stolen? Will votes "disappear"? Instead of Florida or Ohio, will there be demands for recounts in Fallujah and Samarra? Like Ukrainians in Kiev, will Sunnis in Baghdad take to the streets contesting the results of their elections? Will interim premier Iyad Allawi - with a little help from his Washington friends - prevail?

in a way I am glad; maybe once they have their own people in versus this interim US puppet government...we can get the hell out of there that much faster or they will go into full-fledged civil war or--------(fill in the blank)

The plan is to control the Middle East.

I don't think the US will allow anyone but Ayad Allawi to win. We could start massive operations in the non Shia areas to keep people at home or drive them away from their polling places. I imagine after the election things are going to erupt, and our troops will be stuck in the middle. I hope I am wrong.

a mere after thought

Military Fatalities: By Month
Period US UK Other* Total Avg Days
11-2004 114 4 0 118 4.21 28

http://icasualties.org/oif/

,...because,...an end would come to this imposing democracy thingy,...and we can just go more quickly forward.

like, full retreat

but we thought about suspending ours over a little terror alert color?