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For any OIF veterans on RallyPoint. What's your thoughts to what is going on in Iraq recently? With Isis Militant group(ties to Al Qeda) from Syria taking over cities such as Mosul, Tikrit, Fallujah, maybe eventually Baghdad! Myself having served multiple tours in these parts of Iraq. It angers me having fellow brothers and sisters in arms loose there lives there. Just for the Iraqi Army to basically cut and run according to the media. And now have tanks, armament, etc. fall into the hands of these militant groups really disappoints me. Seems like it was all for nothing! What are everyone elses thoughts?
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
Iraq was a country held together by fear of Saddam. It was never a "country" in the real sense of the word. Like much of the middle east, it's just a collection of factions placed inside of artificial borders. Afghanistan is the same way - the southern and northern halves don't even consider themselves the same people.
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MAJ (Join to see)
I'm always shocked at how our government, after decades of dealing with the middle east, still doesn't get it. Our myopathy has literally been a causative agent for many of our problems. We take people who do not consider themselves in any way related and put them into borders that we (or the Brits) decide on. And then we're surprised when those people don't get along. Afghanistan is a country run by warlords, religious fanatics, and heroin producers, yet we're somehow confused that a democracy is difficult there. In Iraq, the Sunnis suppressed the majority Shiite population only because of Saddam - and once he's gone we're "surprised" that the suppressed majority takes revenge. We need to get out of the border drawing business and let the people in these "countries" decide for themselves.
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SSgt James Sciortino
We have been banging heads with Islamist since way before recent history. Thomas Jefferson had to deal with the Barbary Pirates. That conflict lead to the Shores of Tripoli portion of the Marine Corps Hymn. So as far back as the late 1700's up until today that region has been an issue for the United States and the world.
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SSG (Join to see) - I don't believe what we did was for nothing (it BETTER NOT BE), but the Iraqis made this mess. Let them figure out the solution. I hope and pray the solution does not include American ground troops in that sewer. I rooted out the rats in Fallujah once. I'm not doing it again.
Now, having established my opposition to going, I WILL deploy if ordered - let's make that clear.
Second - I don't think American troops will do much to re-establish order there. The problem is Maliki. As soon as he took over, he started death squads, etc and has basically become as bad as Sadaam. Even al-Sistani has publicly stated that Maliki has to go. That's not a problem to which an American troop presence is suited.
Now, having established my opposition to going, I WILL deploy if ordered - let's make that clear.
Second - I don't think American troops will do much to re-establish order there. The problem is Maliki. As soon as he took over, he started death squads, etc and has basically become as bad as Sadaam. Even al-Sistani has publicly stated that Maliki has to go. That's not a problem to which an American troop presence is suited.
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MAJ Dews hit it on the head. It was never going to work the division amongs it's population is to deep, the mentality is so old and rooted in tradition that we modern society fail to comprehend. To think that out the blue we would come in and create a foward thinking society was foolish. Places like Quatar, Jordan, Dubai and Saudi Arabia are held together because of the ridiculous amounts of revenue from oil once that black gold is gone it will be a different story. I lost several friends in Iraq and it was not for nothing they went to Iraq as Soldiers following orders and they did that with honor they are above all that mess.
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