Soldiers in Iraq asking: 'Why are we here?'

[bigtree]

Invisible enemy, untrustworthy allies have troops questioning their purpose
By Richard Engel
Beirut bureau chief
NBC News

Updated: 7:26 p.m. ET Oct 6, 2006

The U.S. Cavalry's Crazy Horse, 3rd Platoon ventures out into Southern Baghdad, where the enemy is invisible, Iraqi allies untrustworthy, and where American troops increasingly ask themselves if this is their fight anymore. And who is the enemy?

"It's not clear now who we're always fighting: they're terrorists, they're criminals, they're religious radicals," says Sgt. Mike Schmieder of the Army's 1-14 Cavalry.

"My men are infiltrated by Shiite militias and I can't get rid of them," he says. "If I report them, they'll kill me."

The troops say it's frustrating not to trust their Iraqi counterparts. Do soldiers here ever ask themselves, "Why are we here? Is this our war anymore?"

"Oh yes, all the time. I ask myself that a lot, too," says Spc. Vernon Roberson of 1-14 Cavalry. "We've been here for so long and we've done so much, but it's just so far we can go."


URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15160357/

[wtmusic]

1. The enemy, Mike, is the Iraqi people

and you're getting attacked for invading their country. You didn't fall for that "Mission Accomplished" nonsense, did you? :shrug:

[fooj]

3. Actually, the enemy is their Commander in Chief.

The buck stops with him. Period.

[MrModerate]

2. Is that what they call "standing up" . . .

When infiltrators in the new army are stand up and frag their American military mentors? Boy, this is *really* working out well.

[Junkdrawer]

4. Mike, you're there to help the Iraqis kill each other so that a later...

US backed dictator can more easily help the big oil companies exploit the oil. About 5 to 10 more years of low level civil war ought to do it.

[AntiFascist]

11. Yes, that is exactly the course set for the ship of state....

[Imagevision]

5. Especially the ones who enlisted because of 9-11...!

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. K & R

[Monkeyman]

7. K&R

[teryang]

8. Lying adminstration has troops questioning purpose

they must have forgotten; they're looking for weapons of mass destruction.

[BeFree]

9. Yeah...

What is about "Stay the course" that these troops don't understand? They had better not make the pretzeldent come down there and have to tell them again. He's working hard on tax breaks to the rich and getting rid of that Social Security problem.

[Imagevision]

10. Remembering when the US. became united before attacking Iraq, after that

it was all downhill, then nothing but lies and deception, going to war using false and fabicated intelligence, - this is what Colin Powell has stated.

And what happened to him? we thought he resigned only to learn yesteday that in fact Bush had him removed.

[leftchick]

12. Iraqis ask "Why the fuck are you here?"

"In my house, fucking trashing it then arresting me for being an Iraqi?"



House owner Majid Nawaf , left, tries to clean up helped by his neighbor Moundhir Abdullah in Baghdad's al-Jihad area Saturday Oct. 7, 2006. Nawaf was arrested along with his brother in a raid by the US forces Friday morning and released 24 hours later. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )



House owner Majid Nawaf picks up a fridge door broken in a US raid in Baghdad's al-Jihad area Saturday Oct. 7, 2006. Nawaf was arrested along with his brother in a raid by the US forces Friday morning and released 24 hours later. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )