The Command Post - Iraq - Italian Peacekeepers

April 17, 2003

Italian Peacekeepers

Italy intends to send several thousand troops to Iraq to help keep order and assist with medical and humanitarian aid. The contingent will number between 2,500 and 3,000 troops from the army and navy, but not be assigned a combat role.

The 2d Mobile Brigade includes Army, Air Force, and Navy personnel, Engineer Corps specialists, special mine clearing and biological threat units, doctors, nurses, engineers, and technicians: 1,500 military personnel (300-400 of them carabinieri from the Tuscania Parachute Regiment) and 1,000 or so civilians. The 2nd Mobile Brigade musters two regiments from Laives (province of Bolzano) and Gorizia, as well as GIS [Special Intervention Group] commandos.

The Italians consider Baghdad's size the real problem: a metropolis with a population of 6 million and a diameter of 50 kilometers. They plan to reperimeter the city, identify the nerve centers where the main administrative departments and a number of ministries have to be made secure, then set up checkpoints. These S-shaped constructions are designed counter the suicide bomber threat. The Italians are also somewhat suspicious of the local police, figuring that "almost all of them are former Mukhabarat agents, the regime's secret service." - Adam Geibel

Small scale fighting and looting continues, particularly in cities like Baghdad and Mosul, that contain large numbers of Saddam supporters. These cities have gangs that have been seen engaging in arson (deliberately burning down prominent buildings) as well as looting.

Former Iraqi soldiers tell stories of massive desertions from army units, and American Special Forces negotiations with local tribal and religious leaders to convince the skeletal military units to formally surrender, or completely disband. The bombing campaign concentrated on buildings, bunkers and weapons, not troops. This encouraged the soldiers to desert, often followed, or preceded, by their officers.

(END OF ARTICLE)

Posted By James (OTB) at April 17, 2003 12:09 PM | TrackBack

Comment Policy and Decency Standards
: The comments here serve as an open forum in which you are encouraged to debate, discuss and post relevant links. It is Command Post policy that we will not tolerate any racial or ethnic slurs or obvious attempts to bait other guests of this site into a battle. We provide you the space here to discuss the topic at hand and to engage in lively discourse. Please remember that your IP is logged every time you leave a comment and the editors of Command Post reserve the right to terminate you ability to comment here if you do not conform to our commenting policy. Thank you.

Question: If an Iraqi soldier, a French peacekeeper, and an Italian peacekeeper all met at the same time, who would surrender first?

Posted by: Big Lou from Brooklyn at April 17, 2003 12:30 PM

Indeed. As I noted on OTB, now we know the war is REALLY over.

Posted by: James Joyner at April 17, 2003 12:34 PM

Ok, back to the topic.

was Italy a part of the coalition of the willing?

If not then this is the first step towards legitimizing the new Iraqi government.

Also, I'm sure that as soon as France hears about this they will try and veto it throught the EU.

Posted by: George at April 17, 2003 01:10 PM

Do NATO members need a UN stamp to give humanitarian aid to a country? Does the red cross?

I don't believe so

Posted by: James at April 17, 2003 01:13 PM

George:

was Italy a part of the coalition of the willing?

Yes. But remember that "willing" doesn't mean "able". The italians weren't able to provide significant military support for the invasion but were sure as heck behind the US and UK. They were the movers behind the famous oped where Italy, Portugal, Spain, Britain, Denmark etc. pointed out that the will of Europe was NOT dictated by France or Germany.

Posted by: Kev at April 17, 2003 01:25 PM

Paisanos, Spaniards, Poles, even Bulgarians for cryin' out loud...YES

Frenchies, Ruskies, Krauts, no thank you.

Posted by: Hagar at April 17, 2003 01:29 PM

Aaahhh...sunny Italy. Good food, good wine, good peacekeepers...without that bitter french aftertaste.

Posted by: Stephen at April 17, 2003 01:43 PM

Aaaah. The Italians. Most famous for their massive surrenders.

Posted by: HoleFox at April 17, 2003 04:33 PM

> Aaaah. The Italians. Most famous for their massive surrenders.

Aaaah. You. Turd.

Posted by: An Italian who does not surrender at May 23, 2003 06:18 PM