BAGHDAD — The situation in Iraq is beginning to get a bit
discouraging. At least that is how it has appeared this summer. It
is so hard to believe that the terrorists can roam all over Iraq
and be able to plant bombs wherever and whenever they wish with
impunity. A guaranteed solution to this problem has eluded me.
In Baghdad there is absolutely no shortage of Iraqi men dressed
in various kinds of uniforms — some of them even well starched and
pressed. Many are also very colorful and snappy-looking; as if
someone in their Quartermaster Corps is trying to create a look of
“instant tradition.” God only knows why these men go out daily, in
any kind of uniform, for what many of them must know is a
latter-day kamikaze mission.
With such a large presence on the streets, why aren’t the Iraqis
having more success intercepting terrorists before they strike?
Every day generates dozens of reports of terrorist successes, but
nothing to refute what daily appears on the news. I have heard
nothing to contradict the stories either, except for the persistent
flow of rumors about the new Iraqi Army capturing and executing
terrorists. But for that to be truly effective, you have to
advertise the fact you are doing it!
The problem does not appear to be a shortage of U.S. troops. The
roads in and out of Baghdad are crawling with convoys of Humvees,
especially on the roads considered high-risk, such as the highway
to BIAP. I have traveled that road many times, and it is hard to
believe the success rate enjoyed by the terrorists given the
enormous presence there of U.S. and Iraqi troops. What is also hard
to understand is why we have not devised a system, method, or
technique for detecting the insurgents as they plant their roadside
bombs; a job obviously carried out at night. In spite of the
oft-heard saying, “The night belongs to us,” there appears to be no
system or piece of gadgetry in place to sense the work as it is
going on. For a country accustomed to creating gadgets that perform
any function, why can’t we invent one to handle this chore?
One of this war’s worst “crimes against humanity” has been the
wholesale slaughter of Iraqi recruits and police cadets. They’ve
been killed by the hundreds as they’ve milled about, unprotected,
in large groups at the entrances to police stations or local
military quarters. The other day, in northern Iraq, such a group
was standing around when a terrorist wearing a belt of explosives
wandered into its midst and detonated himself. At last count, more
than 50 Iraqis were killed. This is inexcusable, as I’ve been
saying for months.
One has to wonder about the collective brainpower of the Iraqi
military leadership for allowing these circumstances to be repeated
almost every day. Similarly, one has to wonder what kind of U.S.
military training, coaching, and supervision permits such
atrocities to be endlessly repeated. And, in spite of daily
examples of mass killings, one never stops seeing dozens of Iraqi
soldiers and cadets gathered in large groups all over the city.
They are absolutely fresh meat for any terrorist who wants to meet
the 72 virgins he has been promised. It really makes one
wonder.
One of the major problems we face is a total lack of actionable
intelligence. But this can hardly explain it all. I am sure the
“good Iraqis” as well as the “bad Iraqis” resort to torture to get
information. Why is it, then, that our torturers are not as
effective as theirs? Why are our torturers, as long as they are
going to stoop this low, less successful? You never seem to hear
much about intelligence breakthroughs achieved by means of “stress
interviews” conducted by the good guys. All you hear about is the
ghastly results of the kidnappings of Iraqis by other Iraqis. The
victims are almost invariably ordinary men who were going about
their daily lives to rebuild the country for all Iraqis.
Last month, the manager of Baghdad International Airport and
three of his engineers were kidnapped. Days later their decapitated
bodies were found at the employee entrance to the airport work
area. Does anyone dare question the fact that a message has been
sent to the people working at and using the airport? How many of
them will quit their jobs and stay home? How many passengers using
the airport facilities will decide that the trip to Jordan being
planned for next week can wait a while after all?
A few weeks ago the father of Aziz, our chief site inspector,
was kidnapped. Here’s how it happened. Aziz Sr. is the owner of a
small factory that makes metal frames. The factory is surrounded by
a high fence and employs many armed security guards. A group of
Iraqi soldiers came to the factory to discuss neighborhood
policing. “Put down your weapons, Brothers!” they said to the
guards. When the guards did, these “Iraqi soldiers” proceeded to
blow up the safe and take $60,000. Then they kidnapped Mr. Aziz and
one of his assistants. They have made several phone calls demanding
ransom, and they have played games with Aziz and his family. Aziz
has driven all over the province to one “drop site” after another,
but so far the kidnappers have produced nothing.
I was recently driving in Baghdad with a couple of our
engineers. They told me that they, and their friends, are starting
to talk about how things were actually much safer when Saddam was
in power; that the real answer might be to bring him back. They
pointed out that even though everyone lived in a state of “low
grade” terror, at least they were safe from crime, they all had
jobs, they were all paid, they all received their monthly food
rations, the streets were clean, traffic moved, schools were open,
city shutdowns didn’t happen, and people weren’t kidnapped. I asked
them: “If Saddam were to run for president in the December
election, would he win? Would you vote for him?” They declined to
answer.
I found the conversation quite depressing, but the truth is that
everything in Iraq is always on a rollercoaster and perhaps this is
just a passing phase. When I return back from our drive through
Baghdad, Omar, one of our Kurdish security guards who always shakes
my hand and says hello to me, repeated as he does every day:
“George Bush, YES!” I am sure that “W” would win an election in
Kurdistan in a Texas-sized landslide, but the problem may be the
rest of Iraq.
The negotiations on the Constitution continue to lurch along.
The other week someone claimed it was a “90% done deal.” Later
someone said it’s “85% done.” Sounds as though they may be going
backwards. The Iraqi notion of a negotiation is that if each side
doesn’t get everything it demands, it’s okay to threaten a
civil war. They are the original “If I can’t be captain, I will
take my bat and ball and go home” crowd. And all this time I had
believed the years spent as rug merchants made them the world’s
most skilled negotiators.
