“I will not kneel before these terrorists. If I don’t join the army, who is going to defend the country from the terrorists?” – an Iraqi recruit, after yet another hideous terrorist assault on an Iraqi National Guard building. He’s a hero – as are so many Iraqis trying to rebuild their country in the face of Jihadist and Baathist murder. I haven’t given up on Iraq. You have to believe that, given a real choice, Iraqis will vote for a democratic and free future, not the medieval depravity available in Iran and elsewhere. The elections are critical, of course. What tears me up is that we are responsible for protecting these people from such violence; and we have chosen to minimize our troop commitment at the very hour of their need. I hope they prevail. With the Falluja showdown looming, we all have to pray that they will.
MEANWHILE: Here’s a brief recap of the security situation in American-occupied Iraq yesterday:
*tA senior aid worker was kidnapped in Baghdad
*tTwo Iraqis were killed and three were injured when three car bombs exploded in the northern city of Mosul, the Associated Press news agency reported
*tA US contractor was killed and several people were wounded in a mortar attack on a US army compound in central Baghdad, the US military said
*tA key oil pipeline in northern Iraq was attacked and set on fire
*tMore than 100 suspected insurgents were arrested by Iraqi security forces, backed by US Marines, in raids in Babil province, south of Baghdad
*tA suicide car bomber attacked a US military convoy in the western town of Habbaniyah, police told the Reuters news agency. There were no reports of casualties.
Just the latest reality check.
AS USUAL: The Onion sums up where we may now be in Iraq.
The Dish 