| Former Army chief comments of Iraq |
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| World Affairs Talk | |
| Thursday, 07 June 2007 | |
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General Sir Michael Rose, a former commander of the UN peace force in Bosnia during the 1990s, further said that the American and British forces in Iraq were in an impossible situation. The war in Iraq is an ongoing battle which began with a US led invasion in 2003. It began in March 2003, when a largely British and American force invaded Iraq. They were supported by small contingents from Australia, Denmark and Poland. The invasion led to the overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and after that the US attempted to establish a new democratic government. The coalition, however still is unsuccessful in restoring order in Iraq. The unrest led to asymmetric warfare with the Iraqi insurgency, civil war between Sunni and Shia Iraqis and al-Qaeda operations in Iraq. As the insurgent activity increased, there was a distinct change in targeting from the coalition forces towards the new Iraqi Security Forces, as hundreds of Iraqi civilians and police were killed over the next few months in a series of massive bombings. The invasion of Iraq was highly unpopular with many traditional US allies, particularly France and Germany whose leadership has since been replaced by more US friendly leadership. "There is no way we are going to win the war and we should withdraw and accept defeat because we are going to lose on a more important level if we don't," General Sir Michael Rose said. While accepting the allied forces couldn't just "cut and run", Sir Michael said announcing a date for withdrawal would quell the widespread fighting between the Sunnis, Shias and Kurds. General Sir Michael Rose feels, general people, militias and political parties will stop fighting and start working towards a peaceful transfer of power if foreign soldiers are pulled back from Iraq. He made the comments while speaking at the Hay Literary festival in mid Wales about his book Washington's War. In the book, Sir Michael draws parallels between the guerilla tactics used by George Washington against the British army in America in 1775 and by Sunni insurgents against Allied troops in Iraq. To stand any chance of success, Sir Michael said the Allied Forces should have deployed more soldiers and not opted for a conventional war strategy. He said Iraq should have, in any case, been a low priority compared to the war in Afghanistan, various conflicts in Africa and the war against global terrorists. Sir Michael also appreciated Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of General Staff, for saying in October 2006 that UK soldiers in Iraq were 'exacerbating the security problems. Share & Bookmark             |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 08 June 2007 ) |
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