Head of U.K. army urges Iraq pullout

cat's meow · #1 (**permalink**) 10-13-2006, 12:09 AM

If the UK does leave I wonder what would happen...

Quote:

Report: Head of U.K. army urges Iraq pullout
Says British troops’ presence exacerbates situation in Iraq and elsewhere

Updated: 5:27 p.m. CT Oct 12, 2006
LONDON - Britain’s new army commander said British troops in Iraq are making the situation worse and must leave the country soon and he called Prime Minister Tony Blair’s policies “naive,” according to an interview published Thursday.

Gen. Richard Dannatt said the British military should “get ourselves out sometime soon because our presence exacerbates the security problems,” according to the interview with the Daily Mail released on the tabloid’s Web site.

“Whatever consent we may have had in the first place” from the Iraqi people “has largely turned to intolerance,” he said, according to the report.

The Defense Ministry and Blair’s office said they could not immediately comment.

Dannatt’s comments are certain to infuriate Blair, who is President Bush’s key ally in the Iraq war.

It is highly unusual for a sitting British military commander to publicly criticize the government’s foreign policy.

Blair’s policies called ‘naive’
Dannatt, who took over as army commander in late August, described Blair’s Iraq policies as “naive.”

“We are in a Muslim country, and Muslims’ views of foreigners in their country are quite clear,” he said. “As a foreigner, you can be welcomed by being invited in a country, but we weren’t invited certainly by those in Iraq at the time.”

Dannatt was severely critical of British and American planning for postwar Iraq, describing the rationale behind the invasion as flawed.

“I think history will show that the planning for what happened after the initial successful war fighting phase was poor, probably based more on optimism than sound planning,” he said.

“The original intention was that we put in place a liberal democracy that was an exemplar for the region, was pro West and might have a beneficial effect on the balance within the Middle East.

“That was the hope, whether that was a sensible or naive hope history will judge. I don’t think we are going to do that. I think we should aim for a lower ambition.”

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

oceanbreeze · #2 (**permalink**) 10-13-2006, 08:28 PM

Cat; good point, I can only assume more chaos.

Chateauroux · #3 (**permalink**) 10-13-2006, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyofmts

Cat; good point, I can only assume more chaos.

As long as Shrub's puppy lives at 10 Downing Street, the Brits aren't going anywhere.

r8dmarshall · #4 (**permalink**) 10-14-2006, 01:01 AM

It bouds badly. It probably wil also envirerate the insurgency toward U.S. troops. Slippery slope has been soaped and it is about to rain.

RASTAMAN · #5 (**permalink**) 10-14-2006, 12:53 PM

Yep nothing like the dead end subborn plan of "STAYING THE COURSE"!!

Does any wonder what has happened to "Bush's" so called "COALITION OF THE WILLING"?

When England invaded Iraq back in 03, they did so with 44,000 troops, now that has dwindled down to a mere 4,400!

The vast majority Englands' population along with its Military leadership knows Iraq is a lost CAUSE.

When will the vast majoirty of Americans come to the same conclusion. The incompetent subborn Bush Admin does not give a crap what happens to our military in Iraq---Hence "STAY THE COURSE" and DIE.

Bush basically commands and expects our Military to; Die by IUD's, Die by Snipper Fire!!, Die by committing suicide b/c you can no longer take the stress of returning to the Iraqi Killing fields for the 3rd and 4th tours of Duty.