G.I.’s Learning To Stand Down As Iraqis Step In

A G.I. and an Iraqi policeman at the scene of a bombing, where some Americans thought the site could have been managed better. Joao Silva for The New York Times

From The New York Times:

KIRKUK, Iraq — The soldiers of Battery B were on a routine walk through a downtown market when they heard the noise: a low crack that was followed by a plume of black smoke 500 yards away. The soldiers’ attention sharpened, their assault weapons swung at the ready. A few months ago, they would have been on the move by now.

But Lt. Christopher Freeman ordered them to stand down.

“They want us to stay away,” he said, referring to his counterparts in the Iraqi police force. Under an agreement that went into effect on July 1, the American forces could not go to the scene unless the Iraqis asked. So the soldiers continued their canvass, the smoke streaming in the near distance.

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My Comment: The key paragraph in this article is the following ...

“You want to react,” said Lieutenant Freeman, of the Third Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery. “You want to make sure no one’s hurt. But this is how we do things now. It’s not our fight.”

Exactly .... it is no longer our fight.