Bring them home

Underscore that last post -- this is not winning


Insurgents Down Civilian Helicopter Near Iraqi Capital: 6 Americans Among Victims; More Bodies Found in Tigris (Washington Post story, AP photo)

The Post story cited describes more horrors and makes clear the extent of resistance control of major routes:

On...Baghdad's dangerous airport road, a bomb exploded Thursday, killing two foreigners and wounding three, Iraqi police said. The strike highlighted the inability of U.S. forces and their allies to prevent attacks on one of the most heavily traveled and most reliably targeted corridors in Iraq.

At least 15 people have been killed and 17 wounded in a week of bombings and ambushes by gunmen on and around the airport road....

Also in this report, there is evidence about how the resistance operates that illustrates perfectly the analysis of Steve Gilliard I cited yesterday. The Post story says:

In Ramadi, a western base for insurgents, a message posted early Thursday afternoon on the gates of a mosque that has served as a bulletin board for alleged insurgent statements asserted that an attacker with a shoulder-fired missile launcher had waited three days on a hilltop for his successful shot at a foreign aircraft.

The statement described the weapon as a Soviet-designed Strella heat-seeking antiaircraft missile, the insurgent statement claimed.

These guys are heavily armed.

Another Post story is well worth reading -- an account of riding on patrol in a Humvee written by an embedded journalist. This is a harrowing experience by any stretch of the imagination -- one thousands of US troops are having every day for months on end:

Horror Glimpsed From the Inside of A Humvee in Iraq

By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 21, 2005; Page A01

... Within seconds, a powerful blast ripped into the Humvee a few yards ahead of us, shooting a cloud of debris high into the air.

McMaster swore loudly, then yelled, "Stop!" We braced for additional blasts. When they didn't come, McMaster ordered Haycox to pull forward away from the area where the bomb went off and get into position in case of more attacks. The bombed Humvee swerved off the shoulder into a ditch and jolted to a halt. Two soldiers staggered out, one covered with blood. Seeing the men's shocked faces, I instantly realized theirs was the vehicle I had been riding in 10 minutes earlier. The Humvee's right rear door was ripped off, the surrounding metal burned black, and the gunner was sprawled face down on the side of the road....

My only reaction is to say our troops need to be brought home now. At the very least, President Bush should announce that the US has no intent for material control of any of Iraq's resources or assets, and will withdraw on a firm, rapid timetable.