Operation Swarmer was a Ruse
17 March 2006 1:44 pm by Taylor Marsh
Operation Swarmer was a Ruse
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| Bad intel yet again. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY |
But contrary to what many many television
networks erroneously reported, the operation was by no means the largest use
of airpower since the start of the war. (”Air Assault” is a military
term that refers specifically to transporting troops into an area.) In fact,
there were no airstrikes and no leading insurgents were nabbed in an operation
that some skeptical military analysts described as little more than a photo
op. What’s more, there were no shots fired at all and the units had met
no resistance, said the U.S. and Iraqi commanders. How
Operation Swarmer Fizzled
How many times are we going to be seduced by a good story from
a tribal leader?
The sub-heading on the Time article quoted above is: Not
a shot was fired, or a leader nabbed, in a major offensive that failed to live
up to its advance billing.
That's nothing, now read this…
But Operation Overblown should raise serious
questions about how good Iraqi intelligence is. I can’t tell you how
many times I’ve been told by earnest lieutenants that the Iraqis are
valiant and necessary partners, “because they know the area, the people
and the customs.” But when I spoke to grunts and NCOs, however, they
usually gave me blunter — and more colorful — reasons why the
Iraqi intelligence was often, shall we say, useless. Tribal rivalries and
personal feuds are still a major why Iraqis drop a dime on their neighbors.
So I guess it’s fitting that on the eve
of the third anniversary of a war launched on — oh, let’s be generous
— “faulty” intelligence, a major operation is hyped and
then turns out to be less than what it appeared because of … faulty
intelligence.
Operation
Overblown
(h/t Atrios)
Three years later, the incompetence continues.
Now will someone listen to the Democrats
on Iraq? Better yet, will the Democrats start talking about our own plan, please.
