I wonder if this means they won’t be making toilets any more?:
South Korean troops will continue their work to help reconstruct Iraq next year, but their mission will be greatly reduced, the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Friday.
The announcement came shortly after parliament voted to extend Zaytun’s presence in war-torn Iraq. Zaytun was dispatched there in 2004 at the request of the United States. [Yonhap]
I have been against the Zaytun deployment before the unit was ever deployed because I figured the unit would not be allowed to do much of anything meaningful which is evident by the fact they can’t even go to a local market place to buy supplies in the highly friendly and secure Kurdish region of Iraq. They did do a good job with the toilets though, I have to give them credit for that.
The reason I am critical of this deployment is that if there is a mass casualty attack or as we saw with the Taliban, a pro-longed hostage crisis, the anti-US groups, politicians, and media would waste no time capitalizing on it. Additionally, the Korean government would expect unrealistic political benefits from the dispatch.Â
I am also not the only one voice opposition to the dispatch, the Kurds are literally laughing at the Zaytun "occupation force" and soldiers that have served in the Zaytun unit have voiced their frustrations with the deployment, which has been echoed by the Korean media as well. The Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki has already hinted that what he really wants is 2,300 Korean businessmen instead of 2,300 Zaytun soldiers. Now that is a deployment I could agree with.
Popularity: 4%
11:26 am on December 31st, 2007 1
The Kingkitty thinks the “Z” unit has done its job. Thanks to its efforts the violence in Iraq has reduced greatly. I only hope they are redeployed to Pakistan to reduce the tension there.
12:14 pm on December 31st, 2007 2
GI,
Sanitation, together with penicillin, was one of the human’s main achievements that allowed them to develop to the level of today.
I think soldiers can save lives either by firing their guns or caring for their sanitation.
4:54 pm on December 31st, 2007 3
Dr Yu has a point …..oh hater guy….this is why we should send an special forces team of Korean Bathroom cleaner ladies to win the war and save lives at the same time
11:05 pm on December 31st, 2007 4
I will be interested to see what soon-to-be President Lee does tangibly on foreign policy next year. If his canal project is any indication, he seems to like very bold moves, and he clearly plans to strengthen the worsening ties with the US:
We could see some bold moves on Iraq and Afghanistan.
I don’t know if there is any other way Lee could be more dramatic in a break from the Roh years than deciding South Korea will send major military forces to Iraq and/or Afghanistan for serious duty.
I’m not saying it will happen. The odds are against it. But it is one of the clearest paths to setting his mark and putting his “mandate” to a clear, public test early on that Lee has open to him….
2:13 am on January 1st, 2008 5
Don’t expect Korea to pick up something that Americans themselves will give up and abandon very soon after G.Bush is gone.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/11/28/mccain-korea-withdrawal/
Iraq is simply a lost cause.
2:33 am on January 1st, 2008 6
Tom it would seem your reasoning is a lost cause. Conditions in Iraq has improved two fold over the last few months and yes it may be the Z unit plumbing improvements that have accomplished this
Oh and also even if Barak Obama wins, the troops will still continue to stay in Iraq.
5:02 am on January 1st, 2008 7
Tom,
First question: Have you been to Iraq?
Second question: If the answer to the first question is “yes”, then when was your visit in relation to the start of “The Surge”? Hint: The more recent your visit, the more relevant.
If your answer to the first question is “no”, then I suggest that you go visit Iraq and use your own judgment to survey the conditions, rather than rely on reporters who stay in their Baghdad hotel rooms and rent stringers to go look for (ie, fabricate) stories.
If you have not been and don’t want to go to Iraq, then you might as well keep your opinion to yourself because it would only matter to yourself.
9:28 am on January 1st, 2008 8
Have I been to Iraq? No. And why should I visit a dangerous unstable lawless place like Iraq? I value my life you know. Why should I keep my opinion to myself? Isn’t this a free BBS forum where anyone can post their opinion? GI Korea, is this not correct?
10:50 am on January 1st, 2008 9
Well Tom if you dont know then how can you have an opinion?
10:53 am on January 1st, 2008 10
Well Thomas if you wish to continue stalking us well this is fine but I think you would be more well received over at Pusanweb. There you can post your opinions based on what you read in the papers or seen on Larry King….or you could form your “opinion” on what your buds over at Pusanweb are writing
4:10 pm on January 1st, 2008 11
Tom,
You are always free to post what’s on your mind; but without a substantive background, don’t expect anyone to entertain your bogus assessment of the conditions in Iraq …
… and don’t act surprised when you are called out as not knowing what you are talking about.
1:45 am on January 2nd, 2008 12
Whoever wins the White House, troops will remain in Iraq.
We can’t even get out of South Korea….
9:14 am on January 3rd, 2008 13
Korea’s in Iraq for two reasons, oil and construction contracts given to them by the US. They don’t care about Iraq or their US allies. It’s only about how someone else can help Koreans. Pacification is only helpful to a point.
3:54 am on January 4th, 2008 14
6:13 am on January 31st, 2008 15
[...] looks the like the real reason for the existence of the Zaytun unit is having some [...]
5:46 pm on May 29th, 2008 16