Civil war drums getting closer

The pending civil insurrection often discussed in Iraq is looming ever closer on the horizon with the dawn of each day. Explosions in the capital's Shiite Sadr City slum killed at least 161 people and wound 257 on Thursday.

According to CBS News, “The Shiites responded almost immediately, firing 10 mortar rounds at the Abu Hanifa Sunni mosque in Azamiya, killing one person and wounding 14 people in an attack on the holiest Sunni shrine in Baghdad. It blew a one-meter hole in the dome and did severe damage to some inside rooms. “

This article and other news services have reported the battles and attacks continued throughout the day and the pending civil war, often discussed and casually tossed aside by the politicians appears to be moving to a reality.

This is not anything new to the military leaders within Iraq or has served in the theater of operations. They have all stated with the media that they feel it is near. What this means for the men and women serving may be another questions altogether.

If our military is taxed to quell any civil war this may place even a larger burden on a force that already is engaged in many actions and it should be a concern. The question of additional troops is still being tossed around the new Congress, but a civil war will more than provide the answers they have been searching for.

There may or may not be an answer for Iraq, however, pulling out in the face of what is beginning to take shape is not the answer. As I have stated many times, the only thing that was holding these two warring sects in check before was a mad dictator, now we must do our best to bring peace to these people. That in itself is a difficult riddle, for they are indoctrinated from birth to hate the other and killing is part of their life, we do have our hands full.