|
US may use planes as substitute
for troops in Iraq
Jamie Wilson in Washington
11/28/05 "The
Guardian" -- -- The Bush administration is
considering a plan to put America's awesome airpower at the disposal
of Iraqi commanders, as a way of reducing the number of US troops on
the ground. The plan is causing consternation among commanders in US
air force, who say it could lead to increased civilian casualties
and lead to airstrikes being used as means of settling old scores.
According to an article in the New Yorker magazine by Seymour Hersh,
the possibility of using airpower as a substitute for American
troops on the ground has caused unease in the military, with air
force commanders objecting to the possibility that Iraqis will
eventually be responsible for target selection.
"Will the Iraqis call in air strikes in order to snuff rivals, or
other warlords, or to snuff members of your own sect and blame it on
someone else?" a senior military planner told the magazine. "Will
some Iraqis be targeting on behalf of al-Qaida, or the insurgency,
or the Iranians?"
With the White House under increasing pressure over its handling of
the war in Iraq, senior administration figures are for the first
time signalling the possibility of significant troop reductions. In
a departure from previous statements the secretary of state,
Condoleezza Rice, said last week that the training of Iraqi soldiers
had advanced so far that the current number of US troops in the
country probably would not be needed much longer.
However, there remains scepticism about the ability of Iraqi forces
to take over from the 160,000 US troops in the country. Under the
plans reported in the New Yorker, air power will be used to try to
fill the gap left by troop reductions. But with the insurgency
operating mostly within urban environments, and planes relying on
laser-guided bombs directed from the ground to try to avoid
collateral damage, there are fears that turning the process over the
Iraqis could lead to increased civilian casualties.
"The guy with the laser is the targeteer. Not the pilot ... The
people on the ground are calling in targets that the pilots can't
verify. And we're going to turn this process over to the Iraqis?" a
former high-level intelligence official said.
© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
Translate
this page
(In accordance with Title 17
U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to
those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the
included information for research and educational purposes.
Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the
originator of this article nor is Information Clearing House
endorsed or sponsored by the originator.) |
