Do you agree?: David Petraeus: U.S. Can't Be Air Force for Iraq's Militias

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 14:14:51 -0400

Gen. David Petraeus, who served as the top commander in Iraq, issued a blunt warning against U.S. military intervention to support of Baghdad's government.

The Shiite-led government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has requested U.S. airstrikes to “break the morale” of Sunni fighters currently running amok who have seized several cities.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/iraq-turmoil/david-petraeus-u-s-cant-be-air-force-iraqs-militias-n135311

"This cannot be the United States being the air force of Shia militias or a Shia on Sunni Arab fight," Petraeus said.

Response by 1LT Shawn McCarthy made Jun 21 at 2014 4:08 PM

1LT Shawn McCarthy — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 16:08:07 -0400

He is completely right.
First of all, simply being the air support without a coherent strategy won't get us anywhere.
Secondly, picking sectarian sides is a bad idea.
We should support the government or resign it to failure.
And if we support it, we should try to take a behind-the-scenes role in ensuring it isn't filled with sectarian hacks.

Response by SSG Ed Mikus made Jun 22 at 2014 4:12 AM

SSG Ed Mikus — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 04:12:12 -0400

I don't care what General Petraeus says, if it is about military actions i will follow his lead and take his word as law.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 13 at 2015 6:47 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 06:47:18 -0500

Now we are getting the rest of the story because General Petraeus seems to bucking current policy.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jan 13 at 2015 1:20 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 13:20:11 -0500

If our next steps in the Middle East were purely a military matter, I'd turn to someone like Petraeus for an opinion. Sadly, it's a political/diplomatic mess created by a long succession of political/diplomatic missteps. Until someone sorts out all that and provides a clear mission statement to the military, I don't think the combined might of all our "military minds" could solve it.