Al-Jazeera TV Reports Former US Commander’s Remarks on Iraq “Nightmare”

Text of report by Qatari Al-Jazeera satellite TV on 13 October

[Announcer-read report over video]

Ricardo Sanchez, former commander of the US forces in Iraq, has strongly criticized the way US President Bush’s administration handled the war in Iraq. Sanchez said the leaders of the US strategy failed to achieve the main objectives behind the US forces’ presence in Iraq. Sanchez called on the American people to hold those responsible for these mistakes accountable.

[Begin recording] [Report by Husayn Ali] The war in Iraq is a nightmare with no end in sight, and the political leaders who lead the army there are incompetent and derelict in their duties. Retired General Ricardo Sanchez did not hesitate to use these harsh remarks to describe the US political and military leadership. These remarks also carry a clear accusation against US President George Bush of being responsible for what took place and what is taking place in Iraq.

[Sanchez, in English with superimposed translation into Arabic, translated from the Arabic] Continued manipulations and adjustments in our troops’ strategy will not achieve victory. The best thing we can do in such a situation is to try to prevent defeat. The Congress, intelligence agencies, and other competent departments must shoulder responsibility for this catastrophic failure, and the American people must hold them accountable. There has been a glaring and inaccurate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders. A Japanese proverb says “action without vision is a nightmare”, and undoubtedly, America is living a nightmare with no end in sight.

[Ali] General Sanchez, who commanded the US Army in Iraq in 2003 for one year, also held the Congress, intelligence agencies, and the US State Department responsible. In his opinion, they are all involved in the Iraqi impasse. He also believes that the 160,000 soldiers, who are deployed across Iraq, are implementing a strategy that will not achieve its main objectives, which required the presence of these forces in the first place; namely, reducing the acts of violence and establishing some sort of political stability. He also revealed that the generals of the US military institution criticize Washington for not learning from the past years of war, and for always insisting on the concept of excessive force, which they believe is the only way for achieving victory. It seems that this situation made General Casey a few days ago announce that the US Army lost its balance because of the long periods of deployment abroad and because of the broad scope of this deployment, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Sanchez, the US Army needs years to restore this balance.

It is noteworthy that the criticism, which the war generals in Washington level against Bush’s administration, has increased with his term approaching its end. This criticism is also coupled with increasing voices that call for a gradual withdrawal to avoid defeat. [End recording] [Video of Sanchez speaking and USsoldirs in Iraq]

Originally published by Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 1400 13 Oct 07.

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