27 January 2007

Welcome to the Alamo

Under new directions from the administration, American soldiers in Iraq are now getting "up close and personal..."
The outpost sits on the fault line between Sunni and Shiite enclaves: Ghazaliya to the south, where fighters with Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia have moved in among the Sunni population, and Shula to the north, a base for Shiite militias that have been raiding this neighborhood for months.
The expression "rock and a hard place" just doesn't do justice to this little corner of hell.
A few minutes after setting out, the soldiers passed a school that, like the other two in the area, was closed. Two months ago, American officers say, a teacher was raped, mutilated and strung up by her feet outside the building, left to hang for days.

It was unclear whether the killing was conducted by Shiites or Sunnis. But American officers said women were increasingly being attacked, especially by elements of Al Qaeda in the southern part of the neighborhood.
It's an eye-opening read.

It also speaks to the courage and dedication of American soldiers... who are doing their best to make this part of the world a better place... for everyone.

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