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| Iraq |
| General: Iraq forces 'not up to the job' |
| 2007-06-24 |
| BAQOUBA, Iraq - The U.S. commander of a new offensive north of Baghdad, reclaiming insurgent territory day by day, said Sunday his Iraqi partners may be too weak to hold onto the gains. The Iraqi military does not even have enough ammunition, said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek: "They're not quite up to the job yet." His counterpart south of Baghdad seemed to agree, saying U.S. troops are too few to garrison the districts newly rid of insurgents. "It can't be coalition (U.S.) forces. We have what we have. There's got to be more Iraqi security forces," said Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch. The two commanders spoke after a deadly day for the U.S. military in Iraq. At least 11 soldiers were killed on Saturday from roadside bombings and other causes, leaving at least 31 dead for the week. Between 60 and 100 suspected al-Qaida fighters and one U.S. soldier have been killed so far in the fighting in western Baqouba, said Bednarek, the 25th Infantry Division's deputy commander for operations. About 60 insurgents were detained, he said. He said U.S. forces now control about 60 percent of the city's west side, but "the challenge now is, how do you hold onto the terrain you've cleared? You have to do that shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraqi security forces. And they're not quite up to the job yet." Across Diyala province, where Baqouba is the capital, Iraqi troops are short on uniforms, weapons, ammunition, trucks and radios, he said. Lynch, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division and of an operation clearing Baghdad's southern outskirts, was asked at a news conference whether he thought Iraqi troops would be able to secure his gains. "There's not enough of them, there's not enough of them," Lynch replied. "So I believe the Iraqi government has got to work to create more Iraqi security forces." "All is pointless. We can't win. Withdraw now, while we can still blame Bush." - Sen. Reid. |
| Posted by:Glenmore |
| #6 So how were the Koreans or Vietnamese doing 3 to 4 years into the fight? Compared to what? Facts not colorful tales. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2007-06-24 21:25 |
| #5 Between 60 and 100 suspected al-Qaida fighters and one U.S. soldier Was it a for sure US soldier or a suspected US soldier? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-06-24 20:46 |
| #4 If you think about it, of course the IA and police up in Diyala are not up to snuff. If they were, could the situation now there have developed? It was the same way before the US showed up elsewhere, and had hands on training and evaluation with the IA and police. Right now, no doubt, we are critiquing those forces, cleaning them up, retraining them, fortifying them, all with the idea of their not cleaning up Diyala, but in their keeping it clean once we move out of the area, a much easier job. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-06-24 18:21 |
| #3 close enough, though.... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-06-24 17:55 |
| #2 I neglected to highlight 'Sen. Reid's' comment: it was clearly (I hope) not part of the news article. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-06-24 17:48 |
| #1 Glenmore...that actually may be W's strategy. Hand it to the donks, like the donks handed Vietnam to Nixon. The American public, G*d bless them, is woefully ignorant and has the memory of Alzheimer patient. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2007-06-24 17:31 |