More Than 1,000 Iraqi Soldiers Quit During Basra Fight

New York Times:

More than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and policemen either refused to fight or simply abandoned their posts during the inconclusive assault against Shiite militias in Basra last week, a senior Iraqi government official said Thursday. Iraqi military officials said the group included dozens of officers, including at least two senior field commanders in the battle.

The desertions in the heat of a major battle cast fresh doubt on the effectiveness of the American-trained Iraqi security forces. The White House has conditioned further withdrawals of American troops on the readiness of the Iraqi military and police.

The crisis created by the desertions and other problems with the Basra operation was serious enough that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki hastily began funneling some 10,000 recruits from local Shiite tribes into his armed forces. That move has already generated anger among Sunni tribesmen whom Mr. Maliki has been much less eager to recruit despite their cooperation with the government in its fight against Sunni insurgents and criminal gangs.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[jasjohn128]

They didn't quit! They drew their swords and cut down a side street ...

[speakingtruth2power]

I know this is not Vietnam but the similarities keep cropping up.

The ARVNs were about as reliable and changed at night to PJ's.

[JoeBlough]

I'm not suprised by the defection of troops. Why would anyone want to die for Bush's occupation? Iraqi's don't want to die for Bush's oil raid anymore than Americans.

[LivingStardust]

But the Surge, ostensibly for giving the Iraqis time to get their act together, is a resounding success? roflmao.

[Rule Of Law]

They can begin referring to it as the "Battle of 'No Mas'...!"

[GPRogueCowboy]

More Than 1,000 in Iraq’s Forces Quit Basra Fight
The desertions in the heat of a major battle cast fresh doubt on the effectiveness of the American-trained Iraqi security forces. The White House has conditioned further withdrawals of American troops on the readiness of the Iraqi military and police.
The crisis created by the desertions and other problems with the Basra operation was serious enough that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki hastily began funneling some 10,000 recruits from local Shiite tribes into his armed forces.

A reported asked: "Who was in charge of training the Iraqi forces"?

Answer: "General Petraeus was in charge in 2004 and 2005"

In June 2004, less than six months after the 101st returned to the U.S., Petraeus was promoted to lieutenant general ( 2 Star ) and charged with the task of training the new Iraqi Army and security forces as commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command Iraq.

Petraeus returned to Iraq in February 2007 ( as a 4 Star General ) to lead the "SURGE". He commands 650,000 Allied and Iraqi Forces that are trying to "DEFEAT" 6000 Al Qaida Terrorists that want to come to the United States and KILL Americans.

Petraeus is scheduled to return to the US later this year with a PROMOTION to 5 Stars.

Give ME a BREAK!

[dr4Will]

no--preyonus and bush will say we have a moral obligation to people who won't defend themselves--you repugs have destroyed our credibility by defending this pathetic president --you will see in Nov what happens when people are really upset!!!

[helonias]

Well at least there were none from the Bush/Cheney/ Romney gene pool.

........I think

[NelsonR]

It takes on average 4 to 6 months to train a soldier in the U.S. Now we have been training Iraqi soldiers for five years yet they continually fail the test. The answer is obvious, well unless you are a Republican, even though we are all human you cannot occupy and dictate to the populous when over 70 percent want you out. Got that Iraqi John, well unless still think entirely militarily as Eisenhower warned us about.

[S1m0n]

They'll fight just fine when the time* comes, but who wants to die just so John McCain can call the war a success?

*And that time will be shortly after the US pulls out, when there is going to be the mother of all power struggles in Iraq. Everyone's trying to keep their powder dry until then.

[Rule Of Law]

Good points, every one.

[taurus271828]

FOR SALE: Iraqi rifles, great condition, never fired and only dropped once!

[RobertaInCT]

LOL...............

[CostaMesaJoe]

Shouldn't surprise anyone.

Hell, I would bet all of the 1000 that quit are Shites.

Eventually, if the sh*t gets too thick, why continue to risk your ass to kill other Shites; which make up Al-Sadr's army.

What a mess....

[Dandy12]

I don't think that the Sunnis and Shias of Iraq are coming to the USA to practice sectarian violence anytime soon. The Al-Queda factor in Iraq is miniscule (about 1.5%). Their presence was overblown by this administration "fear the fear, or feed the fear"!! Evidently, the "if we don't fight them over there, we'll fight them here" BS was so pervasive, that some still believe the pack of lies and liars!

[Wilbur]

Better that they quit over there than quit over here....or, something like that.

Wilbur

[Dandy12]

Sounds like ARVN revisited.... Just what is our mission??? What is victory? Will we prevail? If so, over whom or what? What does victory look like? Have we made the average citizen's life better? Where is all this going?