Reply #1: WP: American Commanders Question Political Will Of Iraqi Prime Minister [View All]

[grytpype]

(Bad News #3)

Remember how there were reports that the US was giving up on Maliki, which Tony Snow totally denied? Well, looks like Tony is a big fat liar. Again.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092702063.html

American Commanders Question Political Will Of Iraqi Prime Minister

By Sudarsan Raghavan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, September 28, 2006; A19

BAGHDAD, Sept. 27 -- Senior U.S. military commanders are questioning whether Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has the political will to weed out official corruption and tackle the brutal militias that are threatening to plunge Iraq into civil war.

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But in recent days, senior U.S. military commanders have suggested that if the Maliki government fails to take action soon, they may have to step in and pressure the government to go after militias holed up in neighborhoods around Baghdad. Their primary target is most likely the Mahdi Army, a militia linked to radical anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr that Sunni Muslims accuse of running death squads under the mantle of Shiite Islam.

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The officials' comments underscore a growing frustration over the speed of government reform efforts, at a time when pressure is mounting back home for a withdrawal of U.S. troops. The private questions about Maliki's abilities also come after a particularly violent month in Baghdad and across Iraq, as suicide bombings and execution-style slayings have continued unabated.

"This has been a tough week. Over the past two weeks, we have seen a rise in the number of attacks, especially in Baghdad," said Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell. "Murders and executions are currently the number one cause of civilian deaths in Baghdad."

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"I don't see an open end to this deal, I mean, where this just goes on and on. I think the government, the people will get tired if they don't see any action on this," the U.S. official said.

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A third senior U.S. military official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity in a briefing to reporters, similarly questioned the government's resolve to tackle Iraq's myriad problems. "There are still folks who think they can win a sectarian conflict, inside the political parties as well as some guys inside the government," he said. "I think the senior leadership recognizes that that's a failing policy. But getting from sort of the platitude to the reality is the challenge and growth."

He added, "And I'll tell you, the other aspect is, don't assume competency."