More "Coalition" members losing resolve to stay the course

[nodictators]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1188897,00.html

A coalition showing signs of fracture

Strategy Insurgents are targeting forces of smaller countries, exposing the weaknesses in the Pentagon's plans

Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor

Friday April 9, 2004

The Guardian

The Shia uprising is exposing the fragility of the US-led coalition in Iraq and putting a strain on the smaller partners. While the 110,000-strong US force and the 8,700-strong British force are geared for combat, many of the other countries joined the coalition in expectation of peacekeeping and reconstruction.

To the dismay of US central command, Japanese and South Korean forces have retreated to their compounds after coming under fire, while Ukrainian and Kazakh forces have been driven out of the town of Kut by Shia fighters. The US military is considering whether it needs to redeploy 25,000 expected reinforcements from its sector around Baghdad to the south to bolster the coalition forces. The Pentagon has already shored up its troop levels to deal with the deepening chaos by halting the rotation of some 25,000 soldiers due to go home after a year in the war zone.

See also:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1188913,00.html

Marooned and bewildered, Polish troops watch Shia militias on patrol

Coalition forces marooned as pilgrims head for holy city

On Edit: minor title change

[displacedtexan]

1. Pilgrims on a holy march... perfect way to mobilize an army?

We all know that our "best of the best with honors" were easily defeated in war games (before the illegal invasion) because the general playing Saddam (I forget his name) used word-of-mouth calls to prayers to communicate battle tactics... because he knew that our translators sucked.

Well, "Saddam" won the war games in a matter of hours and humiliated the best of the best with honors.

Wouldn't it be wise to learn from those war games? Now we see hundreds of thousands of "pilgrims" marching to holy sites...

Wouldn't that sight make you wonder what's under those robes and what they might be saying to each other?

[jean]

2. Coalition casualties and presence in Iraq

Lunaville – Coalition Casualty count The Department of Defense has not updated wounded totals since Thursday, 4/1/2004
http://lunaville.org/warcasualties/Summary.aspx

Non-US Forces in Iraq – Feb. 2004
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_orbat_coalition.htm

Iraq in turmoil on anniversary of Saddam's fall Apr 9, 2004
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/NNLYO91564.htm
Clashes erupted after Friday prayers in the mixed Sunni- Shi'ite town of Baquba, as insurgents fought U.S. troops and attacked buildings, witnesses said. Explosions were heard near the U.S. base in the town, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad.
Insurgents also attacked a U.S. fuel convoy west of Baghdad on Friday, killing at least nine people, witnesses said.
A Reuters photographer at the scene said he saw bodies burning inside the vehicles near Abu Ghraib. A dead foreigner lay on the road with a bloody head as an Iraqi beat him.
In the shrine city of Kerbala, overnight clashes between Shi'ite fighters and Polish and Bulgarian troops killed 15 Iraqis, and six Iranian pilgrims were shot dead near a Polish checkpoint between Babel and Kerbala, police said.

Bulgarian soldiers refuse duty in Iraq after deadly attack
from Jan 2004
http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040102164025.v1gyshyt.html


Iraq: U.S. Touts Multinational Force, But Analysts Say Troop Numbers Tell Real Story from 7-03
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2003/07/iraq-030729-rfel-170119.htm


From the Polish Embassy in Wash., DC – 2003 News Bulletin
http://www.polandembassy.org/News/Biuletyny_news/p2003-08-26.htm

Poland-led force to number 8,200 troops, final figure unknown
Babylon Camp, Aug. 25: A Poland-led multinational southern central division in Iraq will number 8,200 troops but its exact number will be known as soon as all member-contingents arrive, Lieutenant-Colonel Andrzej Wajda of the division staff said . “I cannot give final figures. Some countries are sending fewer troops. Some foreigners have also given up staff posts. Poland, as a leading country, has to fill the vacancies. We will be able to provide final numbers as soon as soldiers from all countries contributing troops to the force have arrived,” he said. As soon as the division assumes control, the U.S. forces will remain in the zone but the number of the combat sub-units remains unknown. The southern central zone will comprise 5 provinces administered by three brigades, including Karbala and Babil run by Poland. The division command, chiefly made up of Szczecin armoured division officers, will be based in Babil. Bulgarian and Thai battalions and a Polish command battalion will be deployed in Karbala where the command of the Polish brigade is headquartered. Over 20 countries will have troops in the Polish-led force.

[nodictators]

3. Update on Poland's presence in Iraq, and US military fatalities

Leszek Miller, the outgoing prime minister of Poland, which has 2,500 troops, the third highest number after the US and Britain, told the Associated Press: "When people see dramatic scenes in which soldiers are killed, there will be more pressure for a pullout." He said Poland would stand by its commitments, but sending more soldiers was out of the question.

The source is the same as that at the top of this thread,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1188897,00.html

US military fatalities in Iraq now number 647, according to lunaville. CBS is reporting 40 US military fatalities this week.

[74dodgedart]

4. Time to start writing some more checks George

[leesa]

5. But the checks are only IOUs. They've looted the treasury.

[dArKeR]

6. The only reason the few countries who did show up, obviously knowing

the Bush/Cheney butching was immoral, was to get financial aid and military favors from the Bush/Cheney Mercenary Machine. Everyone knows this. Why aren't the journalists reporting this?

[SoCalDem]

7. God help us if we lose Eritrea & The Marianas

They are in charge of cookies & punch in the Green Zone..:scared: