Under Fire
As President Bush draws up a new Iraq battle plan, it's clear he will have a fight on his hands if he wants more troops
After a recent mortar attack on the base, soldiers arrived at the source of the shooting to find scorched earth in the middle of a field where two soccer games were being played. No one had seen a thing. Many residents "shun us for their own protection," regardless of how they feel about the American presence, he adds. "I don't blame them. The strong hold the militia has makes it impossible for us to all work together."
Training. The troops echo the concerns of headquarters in Baghdad, where officials hope that enhanced military training teams will speed improvements in the capabilities of Iraqi forces–and enable an exit by U.S. forces. But even as they face that task, they are loath to call for more troops. "My sense is we have enough stuff to do with what we got," says a senior military official in Baghdad. "The issue is authorization–authorization to do what you want to do with that force. What can you do with these forces?"
One possible use for more troops, according to senior military officials in Baghdad, is taking on the Mahdi Army base of Sadr City. "Until you clean that out, life will just keep on going the way it is," says the senior official. "That's just as clear as day." But politically it is a dicey prospect with potentially dire consequences. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki relies on the support of Sadr, and he has balked at past efforts to move U.S. forces into the area. It could be a rough slog as well-American forces encountered some of their toughest fighting early on in Sadr City. It could also further galvanize Shiites against the U.S. presence in Iraq.
As the troops here conduct daily patrols, some are aware that their fate is in other hands. "It's all in the mind of one person that we're waiting on to make this decision," says one U.S. soldier in Baghdad. In the meantime, says another, "we're not losing, but we're not winning. We're stuck." Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the former No. 2 commander in Iraq, told a handful of reporters in his final day on the job last month: "We watch, and that's it. Our days are filled with plenty to do. It's just so much background noise–the president makes the ultimate decision."
Anna Mulrine reported this story from Iraq and Washington.
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