Italians, Pushed out of Nasiriyah, Tell Bush to Back Off

[Chicago Democrat]

More heavy fighting at Nasiriyah on Sunday. AP reports that the Mahdi Army in Nasiriyah has tossed the Italians off their own base, just as had been done to the Ukrainians at Kut in early April. The present feat is more impressive, since the Italian contingent is larger and better trained.

AP says, "Two Iraqi fighters were killed and 20 were wounded in battles in Nasiriyah, mostly at two bridges crossing the Euphrates River, residents said. The Italian troops evacuated as their base came under repeated attack. Portuguese police were called out to support the Italians, seeing action for the first time since the force of 128 deployed to Nasiriyah in November, a Portuguese duty officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity. At least 10 Italians were wounded, one critically, contingent spokesman Lt. Col. Giuseppe Perrone said by phone. He said the Italians relocated to the nearby Tallil air base. Elsewhere in Nasiriyah, a convoy transporting the Italian official in charge of the city, Barbara Contini, came under attack as it neared the headquarters of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, Perrone said. Two Italian paramilitary police were wounded."

But Suleiman al-Khalidi of Reuters scooped all the other wire services by focusing on the Italian domestic fallout from the fighting in Nasiriyah and the Abu Ghuraib photos.

Khalidi points out that the Abu Ghuraib prison torture scandal has severely undermined the US in Italy, where the public was always much more ambivalent about the war than the rightwing government of Silvio Berlusconi. (Italy's force is the third biggest in Iraq, after the US and Britain, and is deployed around Nasiriyah). Berlusconi has sent out his foreign minister, Franco Frattini, to upbraid the US.

rest at...

http://juancole.com/

[Karenina]

1. Back off, swiftly.

Works for me! He NAILS IT:

The Italians and Chalabi are telling the Bush administration publicly what the British have been telling it privately for weeks. This Ahab-like fixation on getting Muqtada al-Sadr at all costs may well completely discredit the United States in Iraq, given the damage already done to the sanctity of the shrine cities. Can you imagine what the elections are going to look like this coming winter if they are held? Won't all the candidates in the Arab areas actually be running against the United States?

By the way, the Berlusconi government is not brighter or less arrogant than that of Bush. It is just that the Italians have a small, exposed force, and they know it is US policy that is endangering it, and they know that the policy grows out of unnecessary and adventurist goals.

posted by Juan at 5/17/2004 07:11:22 AM

[Chicago Democrat]

2. Juan Cole always gets the scoops!

What a busy guy.

[leftchick]

13. "unnecessary and adventurist goals".... that is too kind!

more like...... "Insane and imperialist goals"!
You are right Karenina, Juan nails it!

[Cooley Hurd]

3. Professor Cole's web log is my first stop in the morning...

...even before DU!

I've said it once, I'll say it again: The US's presence in Iraq is much more disruptive than calming. It's time for us to leave, period.

[Leilani]

4. One of the wounded Italians has now died

Italy has taken a lot of losses in their army, have had a hostage killed, still have hostages missing.

The Italian people were against this war, but Berlusconi is a big Bush pal.

Italians always loved Americans...pretty soon even they won t be talking to us.

[nodictators]

5. Berlusconi is a fascist. Blair is toast.

There was a picture of Bush and Berlusconi at their first meeting a few years ago. Bush had the biggest simle on his (usually smirking) face that I've ever seen. Two effing Fascists!

An article in the Guardian UK yesterday said that Blair is hoping to hold on until Jan. 2005. However, the betting seems to be going to the idea that he'll be gone by the end of August. Gordon Brown is making moves to replace him.

His Labour Party fears that they may lose 100 seats in the House of Commons. They want Blair to distance himself from Bush, but he won't do it.

Blair also plans to send more troops to Iraq. If he does, it may be his death knell.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

6. Fact check

(Italy's force is the third biggest in Iraq, after the US and Britain, and is deployed around Nasiriyah).


Fourth largest force. US, UK, Mercs, Italy. (There may be more mercs than UK forces).

[DulceDecorum]

7. And the really funny part is

that the mercenaries REALLY BELIEVE that they are going to be paid.

Well I guess they will,
in hot lead,
rather than in cold gold.

Their employers have screwed EVERYONE they have come into contact with,
yet those dodos think they will escape that fate.

:evilgrin:

[Chicago Democrat]

8. Is that Luz Decorum?

This is Sverker.

[Vladimir]

9. I bet they laughed when Comical Ali said

"their graves will be here in Iraq". I wonder who's laughing now...

[frank frankly]

10. you said it perfectly

shit hasn't even gone nuts yet.

getting there.

US OUT OF IRAQ NOW! ASAP!!!!!

[colonel odis]

11. i'm not sure i'd want to owe mercenaries money.

n/t

[Eloriel]

14. I think the Mercenaries are 2nd largest, ahead of UK forces n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

15. I've seen unverified indications of as many as 20,000.

We're shielded from it so it's hard to tell.

[Just Me]

12. Downward spiral. The situation gets worse everyday.

And the neocon-led military effort does the same damn thing over and over and over. Will they EVER learn that the "rule of force" and subhumanizing enemization is NOT a one-size-fits-all tactic?

It's getting so bad that I am wondering whether the US can do anything to mend the situation given its repeated failures and violations? I just don't think so. The US has got to delegate its authority unless, of course, the neocons are still so stupid as to believe it can make real its utopia of imperialism.

S-O-S

[Karenina]

16. The fuse has been lit in Najaf

and the surrounding areas. I'm kicking this because even when my Luddite butt goes to Google, I'm overwhelmed with SCANT INFO. Help me out kids! We need to track what's going on there.