Why has it become so difficult to defeat the insurgents in Iraq?

Question

Given all of superior resources in the US; including intellectual, military, and technological superiority, how is it possible, for a bunch of thugs and bandits to even stand up to our US military forces? Please explain this one to me. American Patriot.

Answer 1

The situation in Iraq is very complicated. Firstly, there is sectarian fighting (Iraqi on Iraqi, Sunni on Shiite, Shiite on Sunni) that is killing more people than the Iraqi/American or American/Iraqi fighting.

There is a perceived power vacuum in Iraq. The elected president is no where nearly as powerful as Sadam Hussein was. Sadam ruled with an iron fist and reinforced his power with terror on dissenters. No one dared to defy Sadam's rule. With Sadam gone, the Sunni and Shiite sects and their various factions are positioning to regain the power that Sadam lost. They're using the same tactics that have always been used successfully in the past, terror.

Sectarian violence is a euphemism for civil war. Iraq is in the midst of a civil war with American, British and Coalition forces trying to keep the lid on.

There are forces inside and outside of Iraq at work that do not want to see western style democracy succeed there. They are fanatic about doing anything (including suicide bombing) to destabilize and prevent it from taking hold. They prefer the old status quo (Sunnis and Bathist party members) or an Islamic Fundamentalist Iraq.

The USA and most of the west do not want to see a hostile anti-USA/West government take shape in the new Iraq. It is much too strategic (oil) of a country. If that does occur, it will create even more severe terrorism directed towards USA/West in the future.

There is no single enemy of the USA/Coalition to focus in on and defeat. At the beginning of the war it was Sadam Hussein and his army. Now the battlefield is fuzy. There are no clear cut objectives except for the time being, reduce the sectarian killing and let a democracy take shape.

Answer 2

Their (insurgents) mission is nothing but to kill anyone and being supported by radical Syrians and Iranians for the supply of weapons and bombs. In addition, they often in disguise like any other men and probably hiding behind kids, women and children.
US may have intellectual capabilities and military superiority but the approach is not that prove to be effective. Sending more troops especially young men and women in the 20s just wont just cut it too. Someone in the military should review and come out with better strategy or effective solutions in hand. Solve the civil war and tighten the border cutting their allies. In this case quality is better than quantity!

Answer 3

Its not so much why, its more of a how come. THe only reason it seems American forces haven't beat the insurgents is because the insurgents made sure that Iraqi people are scared. THey know what they're doing and how they're gonna do it. Our forces on the have supressed them to some degree but more keep coming because the Iraqi people aren't helping us out. The Iraqi police suck, as well as the Iraqi military. So the real question how can we get them to talk, so we can home?

Answer 4

because the insurgents are not an organised army at all. They dude who you purchase your coffee from during the day, might be the same dude who is taking pot shots at you in the evening.

Did the US learn nothing from Vietnam?? You cannot win a war like this using techniques designed to fight nation states.

So what do you do? Does the US Government want to do what they used to in ancient time and slaughter every last man, woman and child? Effective for a short time, but all that does is piss off a lot of other people.

And what would you do if you were an Iraqi citizen whose family had been killed by US forces? What would you do if someone invaded your country and messed it up? Would you fight to the end? or just let it slide? They have the reason and will to fight, whereas the US soldiers just want to stay alive and go home (and who can blame them?).

Answer 5

Our country was founded by a "bunch of thugs and bandits", wanting freedom from religious persecution, Britain invaded us and we fought back...using whatever resources available.

..they are fighting for their beliefs, and for their country. We only see our side of the equation...I don't agree with their beliefs, and believe if they would let us, we could show them another way...
but that is their driving force...and possible their greatest strength.

In our eyes, we are trying to help liberate a repressed country, in their eyes we have invaded their country and trying to assimilate them into our own culture. They don't know any different. Since they were very small they have been taught that we are everything that is wrong with the world, handed a gun and told your will be rewarded in the afterlife if you kill them and protect us...
I have several family members serving proudly in our armed forces and their opinion is very similiar to my own...but they will continue to get up everyday, put on that uniform and stand their ground...and I am proud of them.
Just because I don't agree, does'nt mean I won't support.

Answer 6

I see some hope and something else that I find encouraging is that even McCain agrees with this move. I don't like McCain too much but I believe that the fact he agrees with it is good because I do believe that at least McCain gives an honest opinion and doesn't just speak the party line. I would like to see even more troops but if the generals on the ground say 21000 is enough they should know best.

Answer 7

US troops (except the Marines) aren't really taught how to fight an insurgency. They are #1 in the world at conventional warfare but guerrilla war is not their strong point. Try teaching a US 20 year old how to win "hearts & minds" (which is a key factor in winning an insurgent war). It just doesn't work. Plus there were never enough troops sent in. The US needs 300,000 troops in Iraq to win, 150,000 trying to control a country of 35 million is impossible. Civil/Sectarian war doesn't help. And they US can't carpet bomb anyone. Add that all together and you have one monumental mess (thanks to Bush) for US troops in Iraq.

Answer 8

The insurgents now in Iraq come from so many different factions. First, Iraq is a country that is basically a divided nation and has been for over 2,000 years. When Saddam Hussein was in power, he somewhat consolidated his power with fear and near absolute control. Now that he is not in power, we see once again those many factions looking for their own way of life and their own way of governing. It is a very difficult period in Iraq and there are no easy answers or solutions.

Answer 9

They have a religious obligation and a lot of manpower, so they won't give up. They look like the local population (to our troops), even the foreign fighters who travel there from other Arab nations, so it's hard to identify them on sight.

Also, this war is closely related to Vietnam. The Vietnamese military leadership acknowledged that they were military beaten but fought on because Leftists in the US worked hard to demoralize America, giving them hope of eventually being victorious. Today, Leftists are doing the same work to demoralize Americans and give the Islamists hope. Their message to the Islamists is, "Just blow up a few Americans now and then and we'll use the American media to help you defeat our common enemy, George Bush."

Answer 10

Because they hit and run out of nowhere. Improvised roadside bombs are the worst, no way to tell until it's too late. It's too hard to simply find the insurgents, where do we look? Through every home??