US President George W. Bush told Americans he would send over 20,000 more US troops to halt Iraq's collapse into civil war but many Iraqis -- and the president's opponents in Congress -- doubted the increase could do much good.
Many saw the surge in troops as a desperate move that would only increase the US' failures in Iraq and could deepen the sectarian divides in the war-fractured country, leading to more bloodshed.
"To step back now would force a collapse of the Iraqi government, tear that country apart and result in mass killings on an unimaginable scale," Bush said in a televised address, responding to calls for him to start a gradual withdrawal.
As voters questioned the value of adding to the 3,000 US troops killed in Iraq, Bush said the Iraqi government must keep promises to rein in militants on all sides to retain US backing -- restating a condition some analysts see as pre-emptively shifting responsibility for any future failure to end bloodshed.
"America's commitment is not open-ended," said Bush, whose own term, indelibly marked by the Iraq war, ends in two years.
"If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises it will lose the support of the American people," he said, making a rare acknowledgment of past errors. "The year ahead will demand more patience, sacrifice and resolve."
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has vowed to lead the new Baghdad security operation and indicated it would strike not only insurgents from former president Saddam Hussein's once dominant Sunni minority but also militias loyal to fellow Shiites -- a key demand of Washington and Sunnis, who say Iran is backing Shiite gunmen.
Responses to the latest plan highlighted sectarian divides, with Sunnis hoping for the best and many Shiites increasingly resentful of the presence of the US who overthrew Saddam.
Bush renewed complaints about the role of Syria and Shiite Iran in Iraq and US troops raided an Iranian consular office in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Arbil overnight, arresting five Iranians in the second such operation in the past month.
OPPOSITION
Bush's Democratic opponents, now controlling Congress, vowed to resist but are unlikely to block a four-month phased increase.
"We are in a hole in Iraq and the president says that the way out is to dig deeper. Does that make sense?" Democrat Senator Barbara Mikulski said.
"Bush is a prisoner of his own dreams," a leading clerical official for Iraqi Sunnis said.
"The American president is ignoring the dangerous political reality in Iraq," Mohammed Bashar al-Fhaidi told al-Arabiya television, saying Shiite leaders were pursuing a sectarian course to shut out the Sunnis. "Those ruling today have taken the path of exclusion."
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS