“Happy Christmas, your war is over!”
GORDON Brown yesterday delivered a stirring festive message to Our Boys in Iraq: “Happy Christmas – war is over.” The PM was cheered as he praised UK troops and revealed combat operations in Basra will end “within two weeks”. Iraqi forces will take over as the 4,500-strong British force switches from front-line duties to a training role. By early next year, our contingent in Southern Iraq will be cut to 2,500 – and may be withdrawn completely in March. The PM broke the good news in a flying visit to Iraq. He landed at the Army’ s base at Basra airport in darkness in an RAF Hercules transporter plane. Minutes later he spoke to Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki. He then gave a rousing speech to 300 squaddies after shaking hands with them all.
To warm applause, he told them the region – the last under British control in Iraq – would be handed back to the Iraqis in a fortnight. He said: “The Prime Minister of Iraq has asked me to pass on his thanks to you for helping to rebuild the democracy of Iraq. “This is because of the operations over the last month that you have been involved in. “The security situation has not only improved, but he is able to tell me he will now be recommending a move to a provisional Iraqi control within two weeks.
Would somebody wake our president, and tell him the good news.
Last one out the door – turn off the light.
#1. Have they ever been able to get the lights back on?
Australia and Poland are next to depart. That’ll leave the USA, Albania and about 200,000 east european mercenaries.
Bravo for them buggin out when they could. But then they couldn’t afford to stay much longer, as prince Harry is going there (or already has). The US troops will probably be there until after Bush leaves office (unless another republican wins, and doesn’t see any reason to hurry on out of there).
And in other news:
Religious vigilantes have killed at least 40 women this year in the southern Iraqi city of Basra because of how they dressed, their mutilated bodies found with notes warning against “violating Islamic teachings,” the police chief said Sunday.
…
“The women of Basra are being horrifically murdered and then dumped in the garbage with notes saying they were killed for un-Islamic behavior,” Khalaf told The Associated Press. He said men with Western clothes or haircuts are also attacked in Basra, an oil-rich city some 30 miles from the Iranian border and 340 miles southeast of Baghdad.
…
Before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Basra, Iraq’s second-largest city, was known for its mixed population and night life. Now, in some areas, red graffiti threatens any woman who wears makeup and appears with her hair uncovered: “Your makeup and your decision to forgo the headscarf will bring you death.”
Khalaf said bodies have been found in garbage dumps with bullet holes, decapitated or otherwise mutilated with a sheet of paper nearby saying, “she was killed for adultery,” or “she was killed for violating Islamic teachings.” In September, the headless bodies of a woman and her 6-year-old son were among those found, he said. A total of 40 deaths were reported this year.
“We believe the number of murdered women is much higher, as cases go unreported by their families who fear reprisal from extremists,” he said.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/3643ef
Glenn E…
When you say that Britain couldn’t afford to stay any longer as Prince Harry was going, do you mean for financial reasons or because of the “blue on blue” problems with British troops getting killed by U.S. troops?
anybody who thinks that gw ever had any intention of ever pulling out of iraq is a complete and total idiot
the game plan all along was to establish a permanent, offensive military presence in the region
the only reason we invaded was because saddamn wouldn’t play ball
wake up people! what? are you too stupid to see the simple logic here?
#4 “The US troops will probably be there until after Bush leaves office (unless another republican wins, and doesn’t see any reason to hurry on out of there).”
Or if Hillary wins. http://tinyurl.com/36w4n9
just make iraq a state of the union & be done with it already
Actually Awake those women are mostly Christian women and children. The shia militia’s are now targeting them.
Brown wants out of Iraq, because of the costs. The Brit’s want to concentrate on Afganistan, where they feel they should have been in the first place.
The sectarian blood bath will bide its time no matter how long it takes for the US to leave.
Does anyone besides the Brits think pulling out is going to buy them any slack from the Moslems?
He is clearly just playing to the crowd he could have done this months ago.
Another tick on his things to do before the election list.
“Happy Christmas – war is over.” The PM was cheered…
I wonder will they cheer him after another 7/7 happens in London?
No war is over until someone wins and someone loses. Oh well, Gordie doesn’t have quarter the balls Thatcher had, thats for sure…
Is there anybody left in the coalition other than Albania, East Timor and that turtle from the Galapagos Islands?
You cons think the surge worked? Withdrawal works WAY WAY better!
Britiain Credits Troop Withdrawal for Significant Drop In Attacks in Iraq
Friday, November 16, 2007
BAGHDAD — Attacks against British and Iraqi forces have plunged by 90 percent in southern Iraq since London withdrew its troops from the main city of Basra, the commander of British forces there said.
The presence of British forces in downtown Basra, Iraq’s second-largest city, was the single largest instigator of violence, Maj. Gen. Graham Binns told reporters Thursday on a visit to Baghdad’s Green Zone.
“We thought, ‘If 90 percent of the violence is directed at us, what would happen if we stepped back?”‘ Binns said.
Britain’s 5,000 troops moved out of a former Saddam Hussein palace at Basra’s heart in early September, setting up a garrison at an airport on the city’s edge. Since that pullback, there’s been a “remarkable and dramatic drop in attacks,” Binns said.
“The motivation for attacking us was gone, because we’re no longer patrolling the streets,” he said. ,/i>
http://tinyurl.com/3cssas
And before you kneejerk warmongers blame the “libr’l media,” note that I used a report from FOX news.
(you can tell by noting that the “Britiain” typo in a month-old report has yet to be noticed.)
Phillep said, Does anyone besides the Brits think pulling out is going to buy them any slack from the Moslems?
The main reason to get our of Iraq is not “slack from Moslems”…
IT’S BECAUSE BUSH INVADED TO THE WRONG COUNTRY IN THE FIRST PLACE.
This will go down as one of the most stupid acts of foreign policy in the history of the USA and the sooner we can get out the better.
The fact that a withdrawal might allow us to, some day, heal our relationship with the Muslim world is also a benefit.
#17 what ya know, wrong country again?
well, third time a charm, so Iran must be it for sure 😀
Greg, Moslems have too long and bloody a record for me to put any effort into “healing our relationship with the Moslems”.
Islam was spread by conquest from Saudi Arabia, across (Christian) Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somolia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morrocco, Spain, Italy, Romania, and Ukrania, and that’s just the Christian ones I’m sure of.
Islam also conquered Zoroastran Iraq, Buddhist Iran, Buddhist and Hindu Pakistan and India, I don’t know what the other nations were along the south coast, but the Moslems did start murdering their way into Mindinao when the Spanish stopped them.
Islam murdered more people in India alone than Christianity ever did. The murders continue. Not acts that are “morally equivelent to murder”, actual “blood on the ground” type murder.
“Heal relations”? I’m not going to sweat their hurt feelings.
So something actually was being accomplished in Iraq BY MILITARY FORCES? The British are standing down as the Iraqis stand up, just as President Bush said. It’s also happening with US troops too. It’s not just British forces that newly trained Iraqi security forces are replacing.
>>So something actually was being
>>accomplished in Iraq BY MILITARY
>>FORCES?
Not really, other than undoing the damage we inflicted by Dumbya’s misguided invasion of the wrong fucking country.
>>The British are standing down as the
>>Iraqis stand up, just as President
>>Bush said.
Hey! Are you Karl Rove? Dick Cheney? NOBODY else would say that.
Its ironic that after Saddam Hussein fell, iraqi christians are now fleeing for their lives, leaving iraq in droves. Iraq has had christians for 2000 years and it looks like this is the last swan song for their presence due to the USA invasion and occupation.
Iraq used to even have jews, but at last word there were 2 left, very old men who refuse to leave but I suspect they will get killed off by the Badr Brigades of the SCIRI which the USA put into power.
Mission Accomplished!
Pull out? Doesn’t sound manly to me…better leave it in there and get the job done! 😉
Cheers
Phillep said, Greg, Moslems have too long and bloody a record for me to put any effort into “healing our relationship with the Moslems”.
Longer and bloodier than what other people?
Longer and bloodier than Christian European culture?
You say, “Islam murdered more people in India alone than Christianity ever did. ”
Are you serious? Take just ONE of our World Wars, let alone BOTH, and the Muslims can’t beat that for body count. Not even close.
You’re kind of history revisionist bigotry is what makes societies suckers for wars. Don’t let yourself be a pawn, like that.
Greg, where do you get the silly notion that the World Wars were motivated by religion?
When Prince Harry gets the call, it’s time to withdraw. How could I make that any plainer? The UK couldn’t keep him out of their draft system forever. But they could pull out of Iraq before he’s put at risk for too long. So he ends up getting the Elvis treatment. A safe little job away from the real danger. You don’t honestly believe that their gov’t will risk Harry’s neck, for Bush’s war? Pul-lease!