Former commander points to Iraq failures
Published 10:41 pm Friday, October 12, 2007
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. mission in Iraq is a “nightmare with no end in sight” because of political misjudgments after the fall of Saddam Hussein that continue today, a former chief of U.S.-led forces said Friday.
Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who commanded coalition troops for a year beginning June 2003, cast a wide net of blame for both political and military shortcomings in Iraq that helped open the way for the insurgency — such as disbanding the Hussein-era military and failing to cement ties with tribal leaders and quickly establish civilian government after Hussein was toppled.
He called current strategies — including the deployment of 30,000 additional forces earlier this year — a “desperate attempt” to make up for years of misguided policies in Iraq.
“There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight,” Sanchez told a group of journalists covering military affairs.
Sanchez avoided pointing his criticism at any single official or agency, but it appeared a broad indictment of White House policies and a lack of leadership in the Pentagon to oppose them. Such assessments — even by former Pentagon brass — are not new, but they have added resonance as debates over war strategy dominate the presidential campaign.
Sanchez went on to offer a pessimistic view on the current U.S. strategy against extremists make lasting gains, but said a full-scale withdrawal also was not an option.
“The American military finds itself in an intractable situation … America has no choice but to continue our efforts in Iraq,” said Sanchez, who works as a consultant training U.S. generals.
