The reality of the Iraq surge, the numbers.

[Blarch]

The Sunni Awakening Movement has a claimed 70,000 fighters. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/world/middleeast/23awakening.html

Moqtada Sadr's Mehdi Army has a claimed 60,000 fighters. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6968720.stm

Thats 130,000 fighters who stopped fighting the US military around the time the surge was announced.

If these forces decide to resume fighting the US military there isn't anything the surge of 30,000 troops could do to reduce the violence.

Sure the violence is down, but it has little to do with the surge. I fully understand that we really can't speak the truth on the issue, we must give credit to the troops. But for a few moments, lets be honest with ourselves.

[lostnotforgotten]

1. Yep - The Elephant In the Room

eom

[seabeyond]

2. isnt it? they made an agreement prior to surge to stop fighting and U.S. would dole out handfuls of

money to them and has been paying all sides off all this time. soldiers are pissed the very people they were fighting and trying to kill, they now give money to?