USD College Republicans

NYT makes minor setback major news

Leave it to the New York Times to make mountains out of molehills.

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The headline actually reads, "Iraqi Unit Flees Post, Despite America's Plea." It turns out barely four dozen Iraqi soldiers are involved:

"A company of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their positions on Tuesday night in Sadr City, defying American soldiers who implored them to hold the line against Shiite militias.

"The retreat left a crucial stretch of road on the front lines undefended for hours and led to a tense series of exchanges between American soldiers and about 50 Iraqi troops who were fleeing. . . .

"This episode was a blow to the American effort to push the Iraqis into the lead in the struggle to wrest control of parts of Sadr City from the Mahdi Army militia and what Americans and Iraqis say are Iranian-backed groups.

How severe a blow it was is never made clear. In fact, the story seems to be incomplete:

"The Iraqi convoy drove off, and the Americans began to scramble to find a new Iraqi unit to plug the gap. Senior Iraqi commanders hurried to the scene and a special Iraqi reconnaissance unit was ordered to advance up the road. With the help of an American bomb-clearing unit, Stryker vehicles and attack helicopters, the Iraqis rumbled north, spraying rounds as they went. According to the last reports monitored by Company B, the Iraqis were stopped short by several roadside bombs, and planned to resume the push in daylight.

In any case, we also learn from reading the story that the deserters were "a particularly hesitant Iraqi unit," that "some Iraqi soldiers have fought hard," and that the company that deserted "had replaced a more battle-hardened Iraqi unit just two days earlier."
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Just chalk this up to more propaganda from the New York Times!

-Matt Hittle

Posted at 08:17AM Apr 17, 2008 by College Republicans in Iraq  |  Comments[2]