January 13, 2006

It's the Small Stories out of Iraq that Kill Me.

The Washington Post reported today that one of Saddam's palaces had been looted.

Big deal, right?

Yes and no. This palace was one that hadn't previously been looted, because it had been a base for US soldiers up until it was turned over to the Iraqi government on November 22, 2005:

But in the days after American forces and the Iraqi brass band pulled out of the circular palace drive on a bluff overlooking the Tigris River, local officials now say, looters moved in, ripping out doors, air conditioners, ceiling fans and light-switch plates from some of the compound's 136 palaces, leaving little more than plaster and dangling electric wires.

(snip)

[Governor of the Province] Shekti, like police officials, blamed Iraqi soldiers at the palaces and his own deputy. "The palace was turned over to the Iraqi army units in the presence of Deputy Governor Abdullah Naji Jabara," he said. "Two weeks later I heard the place was looted. Now who can I accuse of the looting?"

Read the whole story. It's not long. The sum of it is that the US turned over the palace to the Iraqis on Nov. 22nd (at a ceremony where the US Ambassador and Commanding General were in attendance), and within two weeks the looting had begun. How much was looted, and over what time frame, is unknown, as the Washington Post didn't get a look at the place until recently. The US military, as the story notes, didn't have a clue the place had been looted: they thought the place was just as we had left it.

Is this a major incident? No. However, it does a pretty good job of showcasing the huge mountain we still have to climb in Iraq. If there is still looting two and half years after the end of the war (and looting of an Iraqi government office by people in the government itself), how can we possibly be anywhere close to Iraq becoming stable, much less "an ally in the war on terror" as our President claimed was a victory condition last month.

No, not a big deal. But a useful story to showcase how far we have to go. Anyone who thinks we'll be withdrawing anytime in 2006 should think again.

Posted by baltar at January 13, 2006 11:14 AM | TrackBack | Posted to Iraq


Comments

Yeah, whether they are personally implicated in the looting or not, the fact that Iraqi forces are incapable of protecting palace fixtures does not speak well of their ability to protect themselves or the citizens of Iraq in the event of United States withdrawal, nor does it speak well of our ability to determine which units are fit for autonymous duty.

Posted by: Moon at January 13, 2006 12:44 PM | PERMALINK

And if the government units are still looting, exactly how much effort are the putting into rebuilding, fighting the insurgency, etc?

Posted by: baltar at January 13, 2006 12:51 PM | PERMALINK
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