Mission Accomplished.

[stroh]

Bars re-open in Baghdad.

BAGHDAD - The American soldier stepped out of the Baghdad nightclub. In one hand, he clutched his weapon. In the other, a green can of Tuborg beer. He took a sip and walked over to two comrades, dressed as he was in camouflage and combat gear.  Inside the club Thursday night, U.S. soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division ogled young Iraqi women who appeared to be prostitutes gyrating to Arabic pop music. A singer crooned soulfully through scratchy speakers to the raucous, pulsating beat — an action that Islamic extremists have deemed punishable by beheading.

Twenty minutes later, several drunk men coaxed an American soldier to dance. He awkwardly shuffled his feet, wearing night-vision equipment and a radio, joining the women and boisterous young men in an Arabic chain dance around tables covered with empty beer bottles.

 

[MFAWG]

Well, I'm glad the hookers and strippers (such as they are in an Islamic Republic) feel safe enough to ply their tradeopenly, BUT this:

In one hand, he clutched his weapon. In the other, a green can of Tuborg beer


Sounds like a SPECTACULARLY bad combination.

The scene reflected the increasing sense of security in the capital and many parts of Iraq, but it was impossible to know how many U.S. soldiers in Baghdad have the opportunity or the inclination to drink a beer while on patrol, apparently in violation of rules banning alcohol consumption in combat zones.

A U.S. military spokesman, responding to a query about the soldiers, was incredulous. "Just so I understand this clearly, you saw U.S. soldiers at a nightclub in downtown Baghdad outside of the Green Zone in uniform drinking and dancing?" asked Tech. Sgt. Chris Stagner.

Under a Status of Forces Agreement the U.S. and Iraqi governments signed in November, an American soldier who commits a serious crime off base and off duty is subject to Iraqi laws, although the United States retains the final word in determining whether a soldier was off duty. Drinking and dancing may create a hard-to-dispute impression that a soldier was at leisure.

It's a big problem waiting to happen.

[stroh]

Get off of my cloud.*








*I agree with you.  What was described in the article seems to be in poor form, and judgment.

[spacey]

Meh. Dressed in camo, holding high powered weapons and advanced target sighting systems, drinking beer... If it's good enough for our nation's hicks, I say it's good enough for our boys in Baghdad. Just make people wear blaze orange caps and vests so they don't get shot, and I can't think of a serious problem.

[MFAWG]

Get off of my cloud.*








*I agree with you.  What was described in the article seems to be in poor form, and judgment.

LOL, I couldn't read the small print before.

'Form' and 'Judgement' are not necessarily at the top of a 20 something PFC's list of priorities ESPECIALLY when scantily clad girls and beer are involved. There's nothing wrong with that, either.

I'm guessing heads are going to roll down at Division. The least the reporter could have done was NOT identify the unit.

[gleek]

Well, I'm glad the hookers and strippers (such as they are in an Islamic Republic) feel safe enough to ply their tradeopenly

If there's any truth to this article posted by Sir bladder, prostitution probably runs rampant in the religiously conservative Middle East.

[MFAWG]

Perfectly willing to accept the notion that even devout Muslims from a culture that  practiced capitalism for  centuries  before it became fashionable in Europe would have no problem sanctioning and profiting from prostitution among the infidels.

Bring the girls in from wherever (Indonesia and Thailand would be my guess, maybe Eastern Europe and Latin America) and let what's going to happen happen.