Allawi Faults U.S.-Led Forces on Execution of Iraqi Soldiers

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“Prime Minister Ayad Allawi partly blamed the American-led military forces on Tuesday for the massacre by insurgents of 49 freshly trained Iraqi soldiers on Saturday, saying the military had shown ‘major negligence’.

…Prime Minister Allawi’s razor words before the National Assembly marked the first time he has publicly criticized the American-led forces, and revealed his profound frustration at the assault and quite possibly at the deteriorating security situation in the country.” (New York Times)

Coming on the heels of the Iraqi administration letting the cat out of the bag last week about the missing explosives, one has to wonder about the impact of Allawi’s seeming disaffection with the US. This could be yet another blow to Bush’s reelection effort (if the American public is listening). US officials reportedly could not believe Allawi would be critical at first, and thought there had been a mistranslation of his remarks. (Wake up and smell the coffee…) It is a sort of fitting symmetry that, having turned on the man the misadministration originally built up to run the post-invasion Iraqi puppet regime, Ahmed Chalabi, his successor Allawi turns on them.

Addendum: Kevin Drum asks,

“Am I the only one wondering why the Iraqi government suddenly seems to be so eager to release information that’s obviously harmful to George Bush’s reelection prospects? Has Ayad Allawi had a sudden change of heart about who he’d like to see in the White House next year?”

No, you’re not alone, Kevin. Great minds think alike, I guess.

Also: Drum has what is probably the definitive post about the ludicrous Republican efforts to squirm out of the implications of the missing 380 tons. Ah, schadenfreude is sweet.