[frogstamper]

Originally Posted by BBKing

We haven't got the forces to go back in and take it, so it won't happen. A few artillery shells won't take a city, merely wee off the locals, who seem to have won, in the sense of still being intact as a force and in charge of territory (see Lebanon 2006 for details of this strategy). Anyway, what on earth's the point of supporting Iranian-backed Shia paramilitaries against Iraqi nationalist paramilitaries? The whole thing stinks, but if the reports that KBR are building US Army standard catering facilities at Basra airport the end-game may be, as a US official says:



Well, there's gratitude, you septic git. Troops Home Now, I say.

Our troops have more than done their bit, in fact as far as I can see the only reason we are still there is to keep the Americans happy, because if we were to leave now the calls in America to withdraw also would be overwhelming, especially in an election year.
As regards "the British have failed in Basra" what more were our soldiers supposed to do, after handing over control of the city to the Iraqis, did the US expect our Army to stay at Basra palace getting mortared everyday? I predict the same thing will happen in Baghdad when the US pulls back, this country like any other, will stand or fall because of what the Iraqi people do, not what the US or Brits or anyone does, and this is whats going on in Basra now.