RSSThe Battle In Iraq – Electricity
We wonder why Iraq seems to be going poorly, but the issues faced are not always the ones reported on a regular basis. You hear about the issues of roadside bombs, but the terrorists and insurgents are using techniques that are quite simple and yet effective.
They are shutting down electricity coming into the city. That simple. They are blowing up the power lines so that Baghdad has limited power coming in, making the hardships look much worse in Baghdad where the reporters and news media are than in most other parts of the country. You may not like the insurgents, but they do know how to play the twenty first century media game.
Over the past six months, Baghdad has been all but isolated electrically, Iraqi officials say, as insurgents have effectively won their battle to bring down critical high-voltage lines and cut off the capital from the major power plants to the north, south and west.
The battle has been waged in the remotest parts of the open desert, where the great towers that support thousands of miles of exposed lines are frequently felled with explosive charges in increasingly determined and sophisticated attacks, generally at night. Crews that arrive to repair the damage are often attacked and sometimes killed, ensuring that the government falls further and further behind as it attempts to repair the lines.
And in a measure of the deep disunity and dysfunction of this nation, when the repair crews and security forces are slow to respond, skilled looters often arrive with heavy trucks that pull down more of the towers to steal as much of the valuable aluminum conducting material in the lines as possible. The aluminum is melted into ingots and sold.What amounts to an electrical siege of Baghdad is reflected in constant power failures and disastrously poor service in the capital, with severe consequences for security, governance, health care and the mood of an already weary and angry populace. via the New York Times.
If you liked this post, you may also like these:
Comments
10 Responses to “The Battle In Iraq – Electricity”
Leave a Reply
I got an email today from a Marine in Iraq, their morale is very good, and he asked me to tell those who supports our troops to give him his best, the support is appreciated. He also reminded me to tell everyone to keep the cards, letters and packages coming,it is an excellent morale booster and they are also greatly appreciated and looked forward to. He also tell of the great works that they are doing in Iraq.
Support our US Soldiers any way you can.
What the liberal media does (they call it reporting) regarding Iraq is in my book total, straight out, unabashed treason. They publish classified documents and report what ever garbage is fed to them by Iraqi sources (that usually end up being from the terrorists – that’s right – terrorists not “insurgents”)as if it were the truth.
And yes, the terrorists are certainly smarter than our MSM since they know that reporters like to get their “news” without leaving a hotel room. They know the average American sits in their comfortable homes and sucks down sound bites played by the MSM and believes what ever they are told.
The terrorists are aware of how to fight this war and they are fighting it well.
Bottom line: It’s up to the every day American to:
1. Show the terrorists and MSM that they refuse to suck down any old story thrown at them. Instead, get on the internet, read a variety of blogs (especially from soldiers who are in or have been in Iraq) and investigate.
2. Show support for our troops. Send packages and letters, buy phone cards so they can call home. Donate miles to Angel Miles program. Write a blog with the news you discover that is distorted.
3. Let the liberals know that we refuse to take another Vietnam where we just pack up and go home.
katablog,
If Iraq is going so swimmingly and the MSM is just making up how bad things over there why don’t you pay a visit to Iraq? Tour the country and see the sites?
The people who have been lying about Iraq, dearie, are the Bush administration and not the news media. And, Iraq is going to get worse – I guarantee it.
There was also a report about nearly 1/3 of the oil production is stolen every week in Iraq. Clearly the Iragi people do NOT have control of their country. If the USA moves in then we are accused of of being NATION BUILDIGN ROBBER BARRONS. Until the Iraqi people make up their minds to stop the madness it will continue. We can stop it, but it won’t be popular amoung the liberal press and other countries whom seek their own agenda. Trust me the only reason Syria and Iran want us out of there is because they want to go in and TAKE. Trust me they do not have the IRAQI peoples interest at heart.
Iraq has three major factions, the shia, the sunni and the kurds. All three are sabataging efforts to stablize in order to gain a lead in this civil war inside Iraq. The old Iraqi ruling class are sunni’s. Saudia Arabia want the Sunni’s in charge (25% of Iraqi population). Iran is backing the Shia (60% of the population) And the balance belong to the Kurds in the north (15%) Also there are a number of terrorist groups in the Kurdish region. The only reason we don’t boot the PKK in the Kurdish reason is because they hate Iran and are keeping Iran from coming through on the north. The Saudi’s are financing the Shia, the Iranians are financing the Sunni’s in this battle. The turks and who knows whom else are supplying the Kurds. If the USA put some of the Baath party (Sunni’s) back in charge , you can bet that clown in Iran will send over more weapons and cause more civil unrest. The Saudi’s can’t come out and say it, but they would love to have Iraq and Iran aboth slapped back into submission. But the Royal family of Saud cannot come out against other muslims too strongly. But behind the scenes they no longer have use for Ahmadehooberjinstein and his rhetoric in Iran. They didn’t have use for Saddam. Jordon, Egypt, Saudia Arabia have quietly decided Israel can stay, but you won’t hear that publically. The rest of them are whoopping it up until they get spanked. And spanked is just what is going to happen, it always does. Someone takes it too far and well, we know the rest of the story.
Iraq is unstable, but not due to the USA or its forces. Its due because of Saudi Arabia, Jordon and other external sources looking to take over Iraq. People the world over like blaming the good ‘ole USA for all their ills.
God Bless the USA and God Bless the troops in harms way dying to let Iraqi’s become free. In my opinion the Iraqi goverment should get on the collected knees and thank Allah and God almighty for their freedom, courtesy of the Red, White and Blue!
Skyboxx:
Do you think we are in Iraq to provide freedom to the Iraqis?
Leo: where did you see me say that Iraq was going “swimmingly”?
If you think the Bush administration are the liars in Iraq then you are also telling us that the soldiers who are there day in and day out are also liars. The Main stream news media basically sits in the Green Zone and reports from their hotel rooms.
How about what the soldiers told Bill O’Reilly, Oliver North and others? These reporters actually went outside the green zone and into combat with these soldiers.
BTW, if the Bush Admin are liars then so are John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and many other liberals. They all swore to us that everyone knew Iraq had WMD. Don’t you get tired of the same old liberal lines that when followed prove to be a farce?
Thanks for these good posts, except of course for one. All the liberals who voted to go into Iraq now like to pretend they had nothing to do with it. The NYT and certain other parties are certainly guilty of treason in the classical definition of giving aid and comfort to the enemy in time of war.
I don’t know what the solution is but then neither to the liberal, treasonous congresscritters! We can certainly hope and pray the Iraqis become strong enough and well trained enough to take over their own security but given these external forces at play there, I don’t believe that is possible.
This is not anybody’s “fault” other than the insurgents, terrorists and others making havoc in this fledgling democracy. They do not believe democracy is a good thing at all and will stop at nothing to prevent it.
I have a friend who is a female Marine, she just signed up to go back for her second term after the first of the year so much does she believe in helping these people.
Sorry, Leo, I believe her before I do you. Get a grip and grow up and think for yourself for a change. Stop with the bashing and trashing and try to contribute something constructive. If Bush is lying, what is this great truth only YOU know and the soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq after fourteen months don’t know?
When Bush leaves office, who are you going to blame for everything in the entire world that goes wrong? Hummm? Well, after the first of the year, we will be governed by this pathetic excuse of a liberal congress so we will know for sure who is in charge then, won’t we? I will be oh so happy to return the whining and accusations and lying, too.
Most wars we were brought into by Democrats but I never saw one they weren’t happy to cut and run from. At least this time we are not on the side of those trying to kill us unlike in the Monica Wars. Give Bush at least credit for not siding with the Islamist extremists as your boy Clinton did! Oh, but I guess he had a lot on his mind like lying to a grand jury and things like that and didn’t have time to check things out too well.
This is just like saying that terrorists didn’t do anything to the US because they only attacked buildings in NYC. Everything in Maine was great.
Those wily terrorists are cutting off electricity to nearly half of all Iraqis; how much worse could they make it look?
Mortella,
I hope you are right and Iraq turns out to be one of the greatest decisions made by a U.S. President. It looks like the opposite to most people now. It might surprise you that I actually believed Bush when he said we were invading for WMDs. So, if WMDs were the issue why are we still there? Sorry, it doesn’t compute for me.
But, whatever happens I will hate Bush eternally for gambling the credibility of this great country on such a low payoff/high risk wager as setting up a western style democracy in a Muslim country. And, I DO have sympathy for the troops – I don’t believe democracy in Iraq is worth the life of one American soldier.