Reply #17: Saying "we are closing the roads" is better than

[bemildred]

saying "our supply lines are being cut", avoids panic in the
sheep. Expect an airlift effort, although that has issues too,
getting into Baghdad airport is no picnic, and that will not help
with the POL supply issues. I expect there is an element of keeping
bad things out too, which tells you a good deal about the extent of
central authority in the rest of Iraq. We have little pockets of
authority in a sea of rebellion.