Iraq Update - 28 MAY 2017
Elite Dawgs -
It has been several weeks since my last update, so I thought now is a good time for another. Regarding the fight against ISIS in Iraq, the Iraqis have had a tough slog getting through old Mosul. This is the worst urban warfare the world has ever seen?..entire buildings are set to blow up as IEDs. Worse, ISIS is packing them full of civilians, and then shooting at us out of them?.daring the Iraqis to shoot back and cause massive civilian casualties. The elite CTS forces just started the final push into old Mosul, which should be the worst part of the remaining fight there.
Baghdad seems to be fairly calm, and the violence - or lack thereof - seems to be an acceptable level for the Government of Iraq (GOI). Driving through the city, you quickly move from first-world neighborhoods to slums, but that is true over most of the world. Ramadan just started, and could tell the true tale if the GOI can secure this place or not. If things don?t get squirrelly in the capital over the next month I would say popular confidence in the government's ability to secure the people should increase dramatically.
Environmental protections are generally non-existent here, and will take years and hundreds of millions of dollars to fix. Most water treatment plants seem to be operational, but the wastewater plants are not, which equals raw sewage in the rivers. Same for industrial and hazardous waste. When I relate these observations to folks at home, I often get some incredulous looks as the thought of dumping untreated waste in rivers is almost unheard of now. Then I remind them that in my lifetime we had rivers on fire in the US from industrial pollution, and large stretches of waterways with fish eating bans. Iraq will have to come up with their own version of the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act to make any significant moves on the environmental front.
There are several countries here playing the long game. The Italians and Spanish were here after we left, training and creating bonds with the Iraqis. I am sure they want to be part of some resurgence here, or just want the petro-based rewards that will come later. In any case, it is not just us and a few coalition hangers-on?.other countries have fully developed embassies, national goals and objectives in their programs here.
Really enjoyed following the Diamond Dawgs mostly via Twitter this year. They are a gritty bunch, and Cann should have them rocking over the next few years. I likely wont be able to make a football game until late October, but am really looking forward to some Gridiron time.
I smoked the last Outdoor Dawg cigar last night, you gents did me a solid there. Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend. Say a silent prayer for those that have gone before us, and one for those who don?t yet know they will also pay the ultimate price in our attempt to rid the world of these terrorist assholes. Next - light the grill, turn the party up, have many cold drinks and hug the crap out of your loved ones. The pursuit of happiness is part of the freedoms we enjoy. Exercising those freedoms is truly honoring their sacrifice.
Sapper Dawg
