ny times reports finds of 60 + bodies of murdered iraqis in old mosul this past week, but also reports, toward the end of the article, the following about capt. bill jacobsen:
"But to everyone's surprise, not a shot was fired, save for a few standard warning shots...
For soldiers like Captain Jacobsen, the fight here has become a painstaking labor to shake bits of information out of residents...
A 31-year-old devout Mormon who enjoys an easy rapport with his troops, Captain Jacobsen tries to put Iraqis at ease - a difficult task for a 6-foot-5 soldier outfitted with a helmet, ear protectors, body armor, a pistol and an M-4 assault carbine.
"I'm this thing walking into their house," he says. "When I go in, I want to sprinkle some reality in there, like, 'Hey, I've got kids, like you.' "
Although the afternoon raid did not produce any contact with the enemy, it served a purpose, Captain Jacobsen said, by establishing a presence in Old Mosul and planting in the minds of his troops the belief that the area can be tamed.
"The myth was that this was an impregnable fortress of insurgent activity. But the mystery is gone," he said. 'We can operate there.'"
captain jacobsen says it all, i think. what is true of old mosul is true of the whole of iraq... the mystery is gone; we can and must operate there. we must believe that the insurgent activity is not impregnable nor a fortress... support our troops; have faith...
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It's kind of interesting to think back to the original invasion in Afghansitan and remember hearing how no one had ever beaten the Afghans and how quickly it happened. The same is true for Iraq although the insurgents( read: terrorists )have been a much stronger opposition force to control. It doesn't help that Iran had been supporting them which they didn't do to any great extent in Afghanistan. The myth is over-now all that remains is hard work.
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