Reading between the lines
Mar. 26th, 2003 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eorA British military official referring to possible civil revolt in Basra, Iraq
"We look forward to watching it develop and encourage it where we can. Coalition forces are engaging groups of enemy and paramilitary forces as they flee the city."
In other words:
Rather than send our trained military and expensive equipment in to fight house to house, we will siege the city.
It is a city with about 1.3 million people with no clean supply of water, daytime temps in the 80's, questionable electricity and food supply. How many days will it take before the people revolt against anyone who is available to revolt against? I bet if you can keep that up for about 10 days, they'll be willing to face down AK-47s with forks and knives.
Some tactics are quite effective. That does not necessarily make them good or moral. This is trading the lives of trained military personnel for the lives of civilians.
"We look forward to watching it develop and encourage it where we can. Coalition forces are engaging groups of enemy and paramilitary forces as they flee the city."
In other words:
Rather than send our trained military and expensive equipment in to fight house to house, we will siege the city.
It is a city with about 1.3 million people with no clean supply of water, daytime temps in the 80's, questionable electricity and food supply. How many days will it take before the people revolt against anyone who is available to revolt against? I bet if you can keep that up for about 10 days, they'll be willing to face down AK-47s with forks and knives.
Some tactics are quite effective. That does not necessarily make them good or moral. This is trading the lives of trained military personnel for the lives of civilians.
