Iraqi army soldiers conduct an after action review during detainee training at an airfield near Camp Korean Village, Iraq, May 30, 2009. U.S. Army Special Operation Forces are supervising the exercise. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Chad Trujillo US Officer In Baghdad Finds Loss Of Leverage -- Yahoo News/AP
BAGHDAD – The American captain was visibly irritated as local officials pressed him to move his vehicles away from the meeting place to allow traffic to pass. Finally, he walked out of the meeting — and none of the Iraqis asked why.
Months before, Capt. Nathan Williams was treated with respect bordering on reverence. Iraqi officials with whom he worked in Baghdad's Hurriyah district sought his opinion and deferred to his ideas.
But as the U.S. military pulls back from Baghdad and other cities ahead of a June 30 deadline, American commanders like Williams are rapidly losing influence in neighborhoods they once ruled.
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My Comment: This is good news from Iraq .... and one that I am happy to read. The Iraqis may be politically immature, but culturally they are ancient .... and they know how they can take care of themselves if given the chance.