Recently a British helicopter was shot down in Iraq. Iraqi's rejoiced. How much longer will England keep?
546063
I will not argue with you to much on this Question of yours\nYou can not Judge a whole country by the actions of a few hundred mainly young people. \nI have had first hand knowledge of this point. \nAbout your other point yes the dissent in the UK against the war is growing,and becoming stronger. \nPrime minister Tony Blair and President Bush, I Personally think they did have all the good intentions, when they sent troops to that country at the start. \nBut even i am Starting to think, That we have been in there to long.
581909
I think it is stupid for any country to eliminate their standing military forces. There will always be some country out there wanting what some other country has. England of all countries should know that, with the number of wars they have been direct participants in (as either attacker or attackee).
683719
We fought bravely and can be proud of our military.The british were in charge and decided on withdrawal.It was the right decision.There is no point in sacraficing more lives on a lost cause.Whitlam did the right thing in veitnam(withdrew our troops)When the americans pull out of iraq so will we. Unless we get a labor government before victory
627924
Thank you!  we should be happy if the Iraqi's build their government, so they can do things their way. Yes, they needed help. They didn't know how to build democracy, but America has backed off as much as they could. I want to visit Iraq someday and spend my money there as a tourist. If they form this government right, Iraq can get rich just from the tourism. Iraq is beautiful, they deserve to be able to show off the beauty and make money at the same time. I can't wait for the day to buy in their markets. Sit down in a cafe and drink coffee. Visit their Museums, swim in their waters, buy me some Delicious Iraqi food. I'm so excited that someday it will be safe. I love Jordan. and Dubai. Iraq will be like that and all the world will be spending their money there. I want to find out what kind of fish they have that I could fish for.
1072742
I honestly think the Military have been too patient for too long. Glad Im not Prime Minister as I would have levelled the place long ago.\n\nI realise war is not fair but the Iraqi people play upon our humanity very unfairly. We have been trying to help them against their own government/leaders and give them the freedom, education, rights, basics and respect that any human deserves and they repay our soldiers/troops with women and children acting as innocent civillians with bombs strapped to their chests and suicide bomb us. Thats just total bullsh*t! Those people are nothing but savages. Its not worth risking our troops lives for them.\n\nI would have either given all the Iraqi, Iranian, Afghanistan and any other nutty Muslim based country heaps of guns and ammunition and let them shoot themselves to death till theres only one left standing and go in and put that one out of its misery or just press the button that levels the area altogether.\n\nWhat a complete waste of time, money and human life this war has caused us (our Government, our troops, our families and our loss of loved ones!)
288689
Iraq is like Yuoslavia.  Yuoslavia was an artificial country forced together by a strong dictator.  When the dictator was removed, the country fell apart. Iraq is one of the last remnants of the British-French colonial era.  It was cobbled together by the British as part of an effort to maintain a land route to India.  Iraq is not a homogenous group of people with a common heritage or religion. It consists of Kurds, Sunnis, and Shites.  The best thing for Iraq would be to split it up along the lines of these three groups, just as Yugoslavia disintegrated into several smaller entities.  Short of that, the only way to keep Iraq together as a cohesive unit will be for another strong dictator to appear and bring these diverse groups together by force. The concept of democracy as backed by the United States will never work in Iraq. After the Americans leave the country will either break apart in bloody war or be held together by a ruthless strongman.  Democracy is not and has never been a viable option.
818977
One would think you Brits would have learned how to crush the insurgency by now, after conquering Baghdad twice in the past. Maybe the introduction of television into war makes it harder to win. It was so much easier to kill without everyone watching. Maybe if we took a page out of the Iraqi militias' book, and just stopped caring, we could wrap this thing up before Christmas.
716270
"I have a plan"\n\ncyndie yes I can. stay untill the iraqi people can defend them selves and have established a govt that is sustainable for atleast the near future.  And anybody that is against that "kill them" its not easy but world politics and world safety is not easy.  and it is going to take time.  a stability in the middle east will start in the world effort for stability
593642
There is good article on the BBC website that gives two views on the future in Iraq.\n\nIt summarises both sides of the argument.
1083506
This is the animal who cut Kenneth Bigleys (British civilian contractor) head off with a butchers knife, whilst he pleaded for his life, on video.\n\nThat mans family (who were not supporters of the war by the way) now never go a day without the haunting image of their brother, son, having his head severed from his neck with a fountain of blood as shown on Al Jazeera.\n\nHe personally did three "live for TV" beheadings and sponsored the rest.\n\nIs is a good thing this beast is dead?  Damn right it is!\n\nAl Zarquawi was a Jordanian. He was not an Iraqi or a freedom fighter, and nor are most of his Sunni followers.\n\nDoes his death mark the end of the insurgency, no of course it doesnt, but it is important as it clearly shows that Iraqis are starting to turn against the real foreign invaders and that is the bunch of criminals who are only in that devastated country to cause civil war between the Sunni and Shi'tes.
1100074
For every genuine picture or blog coming out of Iraq, there are a hundred either mocked up or used out of context.\n\nUnless you saw it with your own eyes its best not to jump to conclusions as modern photgraphic techniques can make anything beliveable.\n\nAbout two years ago a mainstream British newspaper carried a front page set of photgraphs of British Soldiers abusing Iraqis in the back of a truck.\n\nThere was uproar worldwide and people were killed in the reprisal riots.\n\nWhat many of us, who actually know what they are looking at, noticed however were some minor discrepancies in the equipment the "soldiers" were carrying. For instance the SA80 rifles the guys were holding were not the current issue model, and neither did they have the correct serial numbers. To the untrained eye an SA80 mk1 looks like an SA80 mk2, but there are subtle differences.\n\nAnyhow, after people got killed as a result of the article, and relations between the Brits and the locals in Basra took a downturn, a group of idiots in the UK were caught, arrested and then admitted to faking the photgraphs in a warehouse in England in order to both sell them for money and to protest the war. Even the lorry in question was traced and had never been outside the UK. None of the people in the photos were soldiers, or Iraqis and all of the gear had been sourced from surplus shops and the rifles were de-activated junk from gulf war one.\n\nThe newspaper editor was forced to resign, but his actions in publishing the photos as genuine had cost lives. People had died as a result.    \n\nAlso to back up previous comments, there are no incendiary weapons which burn the body yet leave the clothes, also napalm and white phos are two different things.
980190
.....is the same goint to happend in yours?\n\nWho are you direction this to? people living in Iraq, England, China, India, or any of the 200 other countries in the world.
12052
it will never end. as long as there is Iraqis all over the place, then that war wont be over. They not allow any foreigners rule over them... just put yourself on their shoes, would you allow bin ladden rule over america? :P
40779
I think in 10 years from now when we look back at the war it will be looked at in a more positive light.  Iraqi woman are not being killed now for speaking up, the Iraqi people are able to vote and democracy is taking hold in their country. They are now able to enjoy some of the freedoms we take for granted. The majority of Iraqis want us there.
377765
i was in iraq and i know it is better now. i have talked with hundreds of iraq's and they are much better off now. the only iraq's unhappy are the ones that have lost power and money because saddam is gone. It is better now, even though it may seem bad on tv, before with saddam things were much worse.
613834
what do you expenct with american, its americans the home of the gun everyone has one they just love to shoot did you not see that film where they play heavy rock music to get them in the mood for killing. just glad they have stopped killing british soliders and joralists lol. some of my best friends were killed by american bullets. i dont know why they want to kill british soldiers but if i was in charge of the british forces i would fire back. \nwe are doing them a faviour by being there more british soldiers have died from american bullets than iraqi can u believe that.
1115567
Thank you. I didn't know that. As the wife of a serving British Army Officer I often get the impression that the opposite is the case. Some of the bizarrely Gung-ho statements don't help. I mean what on Earth does 'Ladies and gentlemen, we got him' say to a watching World? or, a recently aired interview with an American Soldier serving in Iraq who referred to 'zapping' Iraqis. We joined you in making a terrible mistake. I have been deprived of my husband for a year in the last three whilst he served on two Operational Tours, and a 27 year old friend mourns her husband. There were, and are, no WMD and all we can do now is to try to help clear up the terrible mess we made and hope that our UN Allies, the French & the Germans will forgive us. I don't suppose the people of Iraq ever will. You are right. It's not your fault. It's your Government's fault and my Government's fault and the only way we can truly protest (although as a Senior Army Officer's wife, I have marched against this war) is at the polling booth.