No peace until withdrawal

THE EDITOR: The capture of the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, will not end the guerrilla resistance against the American and other foreign troops in Iraq and will not make it much easier for the US to continue with its occupation of that helpless nation. In fact, the number of attacks against American troops have not declined significantly and the resistance is now targetting Iraqis who cooperate with the Americans.   Almost daily, Iraqis are killed and virtually any location (restaurants, mosques, etc) associated with Americans or any foreigner is a target. The resistance has taken a life of its own and any attempt to portray it as something orchestrated by Saddam (before he was captured) lacks credibility; Hussein could not have directed the guerrilla war while scurrying for survival from one hole to another and he has no control over the ongoing attacks against foreign troops. Perhaps with time, as more guerrilla fighters are eliminated or arrested (and more and more are captured since Saddam’s capture), we will see a sharp decline of the guerrilla resistance that can hopefully pave the way for the ultimate withdrawal of the Americans and the restoration of Iraq’s sovereignty.

The Bush Administration celebrated the capture of Saddam. No doubt, it was great news for President Bush who saw his popularity climb by ten percent and polls showing him easily defeating his Democrat opponent in the November elections; the high poll numbers will not last for long. And it is certainly not celebration time because innocent (American as well as Iraqi) lives are being lost at the expense of Bush’s re-election. Since Saddam’s capture, thirty American servicemen were killed and over a hundred injured seriously; that is too heavy a price for any unjustifiable war or to boost a sagging Presidency. Americans are paying dearly with their lives to occupy a country they have no business being in (without international approval) and the resistance in Iraq will not end until occupying troops leave because the US is perceived as an occupying force in Iraq. With Saddam in American custody, Washington no longer has a justifiable claim to remain in Iraq and once the occupation is extended casualties are expected to mount.

What is required in Iraq is the complete transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi people and any assistance they need to put down the resistance should come through the UN. In fact, the resistance may very well subside once the Iraqis are in control of their own country without a hovering veto power from Washington. President Bush should forward his exit strategy from Iraq which will save American lives. Instead of waiting until July to begin troop withdrawal, the President should announce his mission was accomplished with the capture of Saddam and many of the bad boys and begin a pullout of troops. The UN should then be asked to pick up any slack that exists in Iraq especially with the drafting of a constitution. This will bring the Russians, Germans, French and Chinese on board to help rebuild Iraq. India has also announced that it is ready and willing to send a large contingent of peacekeepers as well as engineers to help with the rebuilding efforts once a legitimate Iraq government is in place and the UN gives its approval for peacekeepers. Unless the invading troops are out of Iraq, there will be no opportunity for peace or rebuilding.

VISHNU  BISRAM
New York, USA