Troops Hamstrung by New Rules

Are Iraqi officials forcing U.S. troops to fight with one arm tied behind their backs? According to The Washington Post, soldiers are chafing against new restrictions that stop joint patrols in Baghdad and allow U.S. supply convoys to travel only at night. With a recent uptick in attacks from Shiite extremists against American soldiers, one senior intelligence officer warned the Post that "some of the limitations that we have, that's a vulnerability they could use against us." The rules are another source of tension surrounding the June 30 withdrawal of American troops from Iraqi cities, a crucial transition in the broader plan to end the war. "Maybe something was 'lost in translation,'" Maj. Gen Daniel P. Bolger wrote in an e-mail discussing the restrictions. "We are not going to hide our support role in the city. I'm sorry the Iraqi politicians lied/dissembled/spun, but we are not invisible nor should we be."