Just a month and a half after U.S. troops pulled back from patrolling Iraqi cities, major car bombings in Baghdad have killed almost 100 people and wounded more than 500.
The bloodshed and destruction tell us that Iraq’s government and military still have much work to do to maintain peace, if it can, but we don’t think the bombings should prompt our military leaders to re-engage in battle. Besides, the Iraqi government hasn’t asked for a return of U.S. troops.
Yes, critics are saying Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has acted too swiftly to assert that the fighting is over. (His decision to begin taking down blast walls is a potent symbol of his haste.)
But to become a stable and functioning democracy, Iraq’s leaders are going to have to figure out solutions to deal with the country’s religious and political divisions, especially its militants. That means now — as our troops have moved into a training role as they prepare to leave the country by the end of 2011.
This week’s violence proved that Iraq’s military and government has a tough job ahead. Sunni insurgents used powerful car bombs in three areas of Baghdad to target government workers and infrastructure.
Al-Maliki blamed the attacks on former officials of Saddam Hussein’s rule.
The blasts struck the Foreign and Finance ministries, and at least 60 of those killed were ministry employees. Of the wounded, 315 were employed by the ministries.
Meanwhile, strife between Arabs and Kurds in northern Iraq has called for a renewed U.S. focus there.
The New York Times recently obtained a memo from a top U.S. commander in Iraq who said it was time “for the U.S. to declare victory and go home.” Col. Timothy Reese said in the memo that all troops should be removed from Iraq by next August. Little is to be gained by remaining there, he argued.
Not that Reese saw a stable Iraq emerging in that timeframe — far from it. He said the country would continue to suffer from extremists and corruption.
But the commander said the Iraqi forces were strong enough to protect the government from al-Qaeda in Iraq and other extremists that “might have toppled it a year or two ago.”
Quoting the old saying “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days,” Reese said Iraqis were ready for the U.S. to leave, and were less inclined now to work with them. Staying longer, Reese said in the memo, would only add to the resentment.
Reese’s views have not been shared by the high command. But they help us gain a glimpse of what the situation looks like on the ground. It is sobering, to say the least.
Resentments born of religious factions aren’t going to be easy for Iraq’s military to overcome. Incorporating both Shiite and Sunni troops, along with Arab and Kurdish, will be tricky. U.S. officials say al-Maliki, a Shiite, hasn’t been taking serious steps to reconcile with Sunnis.
This week’s carnage should force the prime minister to start making those efforts.
