Mother Jones: Occupied Territory

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By all accounts the American liberation of Iraq is not going well. Attacks on U.S. troops have spread beyond the Sunni Triangle and have become increasingly sophisticated. Pressure is growing from all sides for a change in tack.

As Seymour Hersh points out in the New Yorker, the one thing that most observers and participants agree upon is the need for a new approach in Iraq. One former Pentagon official told Hirsch that the world's most sophisticated army is getting whipped in Iraq because American forces lack reliable military intelligence.

"Instead of destroying an empty soccer field, why not impress me by sneaking in a sniper team and killing them while they’re setting up a mortar? We do need a more unconventional response, but it’s going to be messy."

Beyond messy, it's going to be severely problematic for America's standing with Iraqis. Coalition forces have launched a series of operations aimed at wiping out the mid-level of the guerilla operations from Iron Hammer to "pre-emptive manhunting," which recalls the assassination programs of the Vietnam War.

http://www.mojones.com/news/dailymojo/2003/12/12_510.html