> >>BBC2 Wed night questioned US claims to have destroyed two Republican
> >>Guard divisions.
> >>
> >>BBC also reported that the US had secured the main roads around Karbala,
> >>not the entire town.
> >>I am not suggesting any faith should be put in these divisions but they
> >>may be useful to note.
I had to read this twice before I realized that the last sentence is about the US/UK divisions, not the supposedly destroyed Baghdad division and the supposedly de-effectivized Medina division.
I was skeptical all day about their claims that 'the Baghdad division is no more'. There were reports of something like 100 Iraqi deaths. That's a hard hit, but doesn't a division have 15,000 people or so? Even if the Guard is not at full strength, completely obliterating a division would be a hell of a job.
Of course, everything they say is suspect at all times; at this time, it may just mean that the division ceased to resist the passage of the Marines up highway 6. But that would be in line with the whole general battle strategy: hole up in towns and difficult territory along the route, let the 'spearhead' through, and then harass the supply line.
Anyway, as Carroll will be quick to point out, and it would be correct, we can't get bogged down in hour-to-hour battle news.
(I remember back during the "Asian stock market crisis" there was a period when some of us got really nuts and were posting the Dow and the Nikkei every hour or so. That was pretty silly in retrospect.)
LP