Two days ago Iraq said it was kicking Eric Prince and his mercenary thugs out of Iraq. Yesterday, Iraq said it would review all the mercenary thugs (and legitimate security entities) to see if they could stay in Iraq. And today, the US announces a curb on land-based civilian travel.
The United States on Tuesday suspended all land travel by U.S. diplomats and other civilian officials throughout Iraq,except in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone. The move follows aweekend incident involving private security guards protecting adiplomatic convoy in which a number of Iraqi civilians were killed.
In a notice sent to Americans in Iraq, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdadsaid it had taken the step to review the security of its personnel andpossible increased threats to those leaving the Green Zone whileaccompanied by such security details.
"In light of a serious security incident involving a U.S. embassyprotective detail in the Mansour District of Baghdad, the embassy hassuspended official U.S. government civilian ground movements outsidethe International Zone (IZ) and throughout Iraq," the notice said.
Question: Is this an reflection of rising violence against American personnel, as some have suggested? Or is it an attempt to forestall the conflict with the Iraqi government over whether Blackwater and others can continue to stay in Iraq? After all, if you were an Administration anxiously hoping to gain a victory on the Iraq debate in Congress, you might attempt to put off conflicts that involve sovereignty, security, and imperialism.