Anguish and Questions

After an attack on a military base outside Mosul on Tuesday left 22 people dead and more than 60 injured, Mainers and Americans were left with a complex mix of emotions characterized by anguish, determination and disbelief. Two of those killed and 10 injured at Forward Operating Base Marez were from the Maine National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion.

Residents of Maine and the nation expressed anguish at the loss of life in the deadliest attack on a U.S. base since the operation in Iraq began more than a year and a half ago. The soldiers, four of them from Iraq, and four civilian contractors were killed while they were eating lunch in a large tent that served as a mess hall.

Gov. John Baldacci best expressed the state’s sentiments. “This is a very difficult time, especially during this holiday season. As before, Maine people will pull together. This tragedy weighs heavily on us all,” he said.

While being upset by the latest casualties, Americans remained determined that the mission in Iraq be completed. Unfortunately, that means more tragedies and, quite possibly, years of U.S. involvement in the country.

Although many Americans are concerned about the course of the war, they don’t believe that U.S. troops should leave Iraq soon. In the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted last week, 40 percent of respondents said even if a stable government were voted in, U.S. troops would have to stay. Only 15 percent believed U.S. troops could be withdrawn within a year of the election. Despite increasing violence, the Bush administration has said it is committed to holding elections at the end of January.

Because of the administration’s determination to attack Baghdad, when weak evidence that it possessed weapons of mass destruction and posed a danger to the world prompted the United Nations Security Council to oppose military intervention, the United States must proceed largely alone. The coalition of nations involved in the war in Iraq is shrinking and only eight countries have supplied more than 500 troops.

Then there is disbelief about the conditions in Iraq. Why were hundreds of soldiers, many of whom expressed concerns about the vulnerability of the mess hall, gathered to eat in a canvas tent? A new steel and concrete mess hall is under construction at Base Marez. There were reports yesterday that the killings were the work of a suicide bomber. The Ansar al-Sunnah Army, a radical Sunni Muslim group, took responsibility for the attack, suggesting it was the work of a martyr. If this is true, how did a suicide bomber gain entry into a military base?

The tragedy is made worse by reports from commanders in Iraq that they asked for more personnel to guard the perimeter of the bases, but were turned down. The commander in charge of Forward Operating Base Anaconda, near Baghdad, said he asked twice this year for 500 to 700 additional soldiers to improve security outside the base. In October, Brig. Gen. Oscar Hilman said his requests had been denied.

Just as members of Congress recently expressed outrage that many American soldiers are still traveling around Iraq in vehicles without armor, they should be appalled if there are not enough soldiers in Iraq or if they are not being deployed where they are most needed. They should demand answers, and if necessary, changes in strategy, from the Pentagon, as both senators from Maine did yesterday.

American soldiers are destined to remain in Iraq for a long time. They should be as safe as possible while they are there.