From the Advisors -- Bombs in Baghdad

The latest from Dave Kilcullen in Baghdad on the Small Wars Journal blog - From the Advisors -- Bombs in Baghdad.

Quote:

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It has been an interesting few weeks here in Baghdad. Myself and the other advisors felt that a comment on recent developments might be in order. It is still early days for Fardh al-Qanoon (a.k.a the “Baghdad Security Plan”) and thus too soon to tell for sure how things will play out. But, though the challenges remain extremely severe, early trends are quite positive. Counter-intuitively, the latest series of car bombings includes some encouraging signs...

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This is a bit off topic but I wonder if Mr. Kilcullen could pass on to his boss that the PSCs in Iraq are on his side. Not a week goes by in which we don't have to scramble to adjust to the latest MNF-I frago that may seem perfectly reasonable when put into bullet points but leaves many of the people who are providing security for the political and economic efforts (which apparently are thought to be more important than combat operations) out on a limb. These obstructions consist primarily of constantly changing "weapons cards" requirements, MNFI badging rules and ever changing requirements to pass through US military check points without being left hanging in the "bomb lane".

I do feel sorry for the troops stuck enforcing the latest regulations because it's clear they are often as bewildered (and often embarrassed by the confusion) about the rules for the day as everyone else.