How can the US military win the war in Iraq when they can't tell the difference between an Iraqi milkman & a..

Question

insurgent/terrorist? How do you fight an enemy that could be walking right in front of your face and you don't know it?

So civil war or no civil war, secterian violence or not, saving Iraqi democracy or not, bringing the troops home or not: the bottom line is if the US military can't use it's FULL force to defeat the enemy (which it can barely identify unless they are getting shot at) their is no way the US military (or ANY MILITARY) can win the war in Iraq? Right? And believe me, I want the US to win this war but if they are not allowed to use the full force of the US military how can they possibly win?

Answer 1

In talking about this very point with someone who I consider much more intelligent than myself (he has 3 Harvard degrees & regularly talks with staffers and members of Congress), he believes that we should pull out of Iraq. I pressed him on how we could win, and he stated that we could always do what the Romans did: Kill everyone over the age of 5, make Iraq a state of the US, and raise remaining young Iraqis to love the US.

Since that is obviously too drastic, not to mention immoral, the answer to your question is that the US cannot win in Iraq with this type of gurrilla warfare. The US, in 1999, simulated war games between the US and Iraq. The result of those war games showed that while the US would achieve a quick military victory in a matter of months, the stabilization of Iraq and defeat of any gurrillas would take approximatly 10 years and, at a minimum, 500,000 troops. A troop level of 750,000 to one million is more realistic. As such, since we are not going to triple troop levels over there, the US Military cannot win this conflict.

Answer 2

The Answer to that is Create a new All American Arab Army to fight in the Middle East Those who speak Arabic and understand the culture.Middle East is the only hope at this time and is very Important.

Answer 3

Seriously, I understand your point. This isn't easily answered. People are the sum of their actions and it is all but impossible to identify someone based on their beliefs.

Answer 4

if you bomb them from 50,000 feet you get them all
i don't care how they dress you kill enough
they will beg to give up the "Islamic crusaders"

Answer 5

There is no winning in any wars......battles may be (temporary gratifications). No one wins wars....Everyone loses....everyone...