If the war in Iraq was a mistake, sudden withdraw of troops would be an even greater mistake, IMO. Chaos would ensue which is just what the insurgents want. It is interesting that 19 Mar is also Mohammed's birthday. The Anglo Saxon Times quotes a message put on Al Quaeda's web site yesterday, to celebrate the birthday.
In a new message, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden warned Europe of a
"reckoning" for publishing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
Intelligence officials said it wasn't clear when a possible attack
might occur.
"The punishment will also be more severe," he said, addressing the "intelligent ones" in the European Union: "Don't listen to our words, watch our actions."Deutsche Welle
It's a difficult one this. I'm not sure that withdrawing the troops now is a good idea. I'm not going to get into the arguement on whether we should have gone in to start with (I have mixed feeling on this), but I fear it's a little too late to walk away and watch from a distance.
Thanks Greg, I wasn't necessarily agreeing whole-heartedly with the stance that troops should be withdrawn now, and in full. However, I do stand by the fact that 5 years is "too long", just as it was always going to be too long when the decision was made to invade Iraq all that time ago (and Afghanistan too).
Of course, if the US and UK had had a clear plan for management and withdrawal from post-conflict Iraq before the invasion, then we wouldn't still be there now...
It was bound to fail in Iraq because of the enemy within the country sabotaging all efforts to improve things there. Even president Bush warned from the outset that they would have to be in there for the long-term.
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Of course, if the US and UK had had a clear plan for management and withdrawal from post-conflict Iraq before the invasion, then we wouldn't still be there now...