Thursday, October 14, 2004
Gee, Who Could Have Seen This Coming?
The drumbeat began last month with a Fincancial Times article, "Green Zone is ‘no longer totally secure’" which bluntly stated
Then a few weeks ago the AP reported
Three days later, we got "Iraq's Green Zone Turns Redder by the Day" from Reuters, ominously informing us that
And today we're greeted with a very surprising and shocking story featured all over the place. Here's a little of Reuters' take:
One wonders why no one listened to that high-ranking US officer who told the Financial Times he didn't have enough soldiers back in September. Maybe if those in charge hadn't been so fixated on re-taking towns like Samarra and had fortified the supposedly secure Green Zone, today's suicide bombing would have been prevented. Another, good option, I might add, would have been getting the hell out of Iraq. Surely there is a reason some action wasn't taken ... A reason besides politics, that is. But what do I know I'm an unpatriotic leftist who isn't concerned about the safety of the American forces in Iraq, right?
Anyway, Tex at UnfairWitness makes an interesting point about those patriotic rightists who are concerned about the safety of the American forces in Iraq ... They seem to have lost interest.
At a briefing earlier this month, a high-ranking US officer in charge of the zone's perimeter said he had insufficient soldiers to prevent intruders penetrating the compound's defences.
Then a few weeks ago the AP reported
U.S. authorities, meanwhile, raised the security alert in the heavily guarded Green Zone after an improvised bomb was found in front of a restaurant there.
Three days later, we got "Iraq's Green Zone Turns Redder by the Day" from Reuters, ominously informing us that
[The Green Zone] was supposed to be the safest patch of land in Iraq, but instead is slowly succumbing to the creeping dangers stalking the rest of the country.
And today we're greeted with a very surprising and shocking story featured all over the place. Here's a little of Reuters' take:
Two suicide bombers killed five civilians, including three U.S. nationals, on Thursday in one of the bloodiest attacks inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, and America's top enemy in Iraq claimed responsibility.
The attacks on a souvenir bazaar and a cafe frequented by U.S. troops and civilians were the first suicide bombings inside what is supposed to be the safest place in Iraq. The country's interim government immediately vowed to strike back.
[ ... ]
"People were screaming. I was on the floor," said Mohammed "Mo" Nawaf al-Obeidi, 25, owner of the nearby Mo's Restaurant, who was at the cafe. "People were stampeding, trying to get out," he said, his right hand bandaged.
At the cafe, an orange metal-framed tent built onto a former petrol station, the area was littered with glass, twisted metal, blood and food. Pieces of flesh were lying up to 15 meters away.
One wonders why no one listened to that high-ranking US officer who told the Financial Times he didn't have enough soldiers back in September. Maybe if those in charge hadn't been so fixated on re-taking towns like Samarra and had fortified the supposedly secure Green Zone, today's suicide bombing would have been prevented. Another, good option, I might add, would have been getting the hell out of Iraq. Surely there is a reason some action wasn't taken ... A reason besides politics, that is. But what do I know I'm an unpatriotic leftist who isn't concerned about the safety of the American forces in Iraq, right?
Anyway, Tex at UnfairWitness makes an interesting point about those patriotic rightists who are concerned about the safety of the American forces in Iraq ... They seem to have lost interest.
