A classified report from the USMC Chief of Intelligence, Iraq, has
declared that the war is lost politically and that no military
options remain.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
The chief of intelligence for the Marine Corps in Iraq recently filed an unusual secret report concluding that the prospects for securing that country's western Anbar province are dim and that there is almost nothing the U.S. military can do to improve the political and social situation there, said several military officers and intelligence officials familiar with its contents.
This is a big deal, the Military has always been optimistic on this,
now the Marines, the biggest, baddest roughest bastards are giving
up
One Army officer summarized it as arguing that in Anbar province, "We haven't been defeated militarily but we have been defeated politically -- and that's where wars are won and lost."
Devlin reports that there are no functioning Iraqi government institutions in Anbar, leaving a vacuum that has been filled by the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq, which has become the province's most significant political force, said the Army officer, who has read the report. Another person familiar with the report said it describes Anbar as beyond repair; a third said it concludes that the United States has lost in Anbar.
Devlin offers a series of reasons for the situation, including a lack of U.S. and Iraqi troops, a problem that has dogged commanders since the fall of Baghdad more than three years ago, said people who have read it. These people said he reported that not only are military operations facing a stalemate, unable to extend and sustain security beyond the perimeters of their bases, but also local governments in the province have collapsed and the weak central government has almost no presence.
This is a huge deal, the CIA has been sending out assessments that
are very negative, the USMC is now doing this. Soon enough the
Army will, unless, beaten into not releasing summaries.
This is a preliminary to the military chain asking to be relieved from
Iraq as a mission.
Of course Bush should go Ape about the press writing on
classified reports.