The Iraq War is Lost

So say the soliders on the ground:

"Military commanders in the field in Iraq admit in private reports to the Pentagon the war 'is lost' and that the U.S. military is unable to stem the mounting violence killing 1,000 Iraqi civilians a month. Even worse, they report the massacre of Iraqi civilians at Haditha is 'just the tip of the iceberg' with overstressed, out-of-control Americans soldiers pushed beyond the breaking point both physically and mentally."

This should be front page news, but it won't be. It reminds me of an account in Peter Taylor's book 'The Provos: IRA and Sinn Fein' when he writes about the secret reports where UK intelligence basically told the government that they could not win the war, but neither could the IRA. The state could weaken the IRA very severely, but never fully kill it off. There had to be a political solution. When you can't win, it just means you've lost (but slowly). The problem is that I would guess that lots more people will have to die before the politicians catch up.

There are other places where the War on Terror is coming unstuck; US backed forces in Somalia just lost control of the capital to the Islamic militia:

"Islamist militias fighting American-backed warlords in Somalia were in control of the capital Mogadishu last night, as fighting started to spread to other parts of the country. The development came after three months of fierce clashes in which hundreds have been killed and injured and thousands more forced to flee their homes. Last night the warlords' militias had retreated from Mogadishu with Islamist forces in hot pursuit. The UN began pulling staff out of neighbouring areas in anticipation of the growing conflict."

In Colombia reports are that 'Plan Colombia' is falling apart:

"[Department of Justice attorney Thomas M. Kent]'s memorandum [A document obtained recently by Narco News] contains some of the most serious allegations ever raised against U.S. antinarcotics officers: that DEA agents on the front lines of the drug war in Colombia are on drug traffickers’ payrolls, complicit in the murders of informants who knew too much, and, most startlingly, directly involved in helping Colombia’s infamous rightwing paramilitary death squads to launder drug money."

Sill there is always the world cup or a so-called terror raid to keep our minds on other things...

On the subject of terror, state-backed terror this time that won't get written about - the killings go on in Colombia. There are two brave people visiting Bristol today: Jorge Aramburo, Arcenides Candelo & Maria Valencia from Proceso de Comunidades Negra, Colombia (Black Communities Process) This isa chance to hear the reality of the war on terror from the terrorised:

7.00pm Wednesday 7th, June. Kuumba Arts & Community Resource Centre, 20-23 Hepburn Road, St Pauls, Bristol BS28UD.