The “mess” in Iraq

| February 27, 2014

From the Washington Post comes news from Iraq where the Iraqi troops are describing their operations against the seasoned troops of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) a “mess”.

As the fight in Anbar has escalated, Washington has responded to pleas from the Iraqi government by stepping up deliveries of light arms, Hellfire missiles and surveillance drones to Baghdad. Iraq has also turned to its ally Iran for military support. Iran has signed a deal to sell Iraq ammunition and weapons worth $195 million, Reuters reported on Monday, citing leaked documents. The State Department has said it is seeking clarification on the deal, which would breach U.N. sanctions on Iran.

But some observers say weapons should not be the top priority.

“I can’t believe that after 10 years, the U.S. hasn’t given enough in small arms to arm the Iraqi armed forces twice over,” said a former U.S. senior adviser to the Iraqi armed forces, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive topic. “What they need is training and intelligence.”

American training of Iraqi forces stopped when the U.S. military withdrew in 2011, but discussions are underway to revive it.

I’m sure you folks will be lining up at the recruiters’ doors to flock back so you can train those Iraqis who weren’t paying attention in your classes last time, aren’t you?

The United States, Iraq and Jordan have said that they are considering training for Iraqi forces by about 1,500 U.S. troops based in Jordan.

So, wait, we’re slashing troop levels, but this administration wants to leave 10,000 troops in Afghanistan and now a couple of thousand will be rotating in and out of Jordan. They’re also in negotiations to open up Subic Bay in the Philippines as a US base for operations there and couple of thousand more troops will move in. Oh, did I forget to mention that the Iraqis are now buying their military wares from the Iranians in contradiction of current sanctions against Iran? I’m beginning to think that no one has thought this out well.

Category: Terror War

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Old Trooper

“I’m beginning to think that no one has thought this out well.”

Nope, the diplodinks don’t think things through. They are in it for the instant gratification, these days. They then chastize anyone who wants to look at the long term and the effects those immediate decisions will have on future events.

Hondo

I’m beginning to think that no one has thought this out well.

Only beginning to think that, Jonn? Hell, that’s been pretty obvious since about February 2009 or so.

A Proud Infidel

If we do get cursed with having to return, will the Iraquis even pay attention to us, or will they simply expect us to wipe their asses for them? I doubt they’re any different from the Afghans our Unit’s ETTs (Embedded Tactical Trainers) tried to teach during my tour there. For example, when they tried to teach Rifle Marksmanship and fire discipline, the Afghans would just point, “spray and pray”, then look the instructor in the eye and say “EET OKAY, Allah weel guide thee boolets!”.

CBSenior

I remember building training camps and bases for them. We would have to paint foot prints on the 4 Hole Burn-outs becasue they did not know how to use them and we dive bombing from the Top Rope. Let’s jsut say their aim did not improve with the closer distance.

We knew right then and there all was lost and we pissed away American Gold on this dump and it’s useless people.

Twist

“I’m sure you folks will be lining up at the recruiters’ doors to flock back so you can train those Iraqis”

No thanks. 28 months in that shithole is enough for me.

Twist

@3: Myself along with 12 others were an embeded training team for the IA. We would train them and go on all their patrols and raids with them. I never want to have to do that again. That is where I learned of the death blossom. We took contact and I had to lay behind a barrier waiting for them to stop spraying in all directions.

A Proud Infidel

@4, CBSenior, another episode like that happened with another ETT. His Afghan troops were not burning their latrine waste, and the Afghans told him they expected him to do that. After a few days, the poop was piled above the seats, and the ETT said “TO HELL WITH IT!!”, soaked the field latrine, poop, and all with diesel fuel and lit it. After it was all said and done, he made the Afghans rebuild their “poop coop” and burn their waste after that. On FOBS where there were American and Afghan Troops, we had to keep them locked out or they would come in and defecate on the floor or in the shower stalls, some people just CANNOT be civilized!

The Other Whitey

If they’re now buying shit off the Iranians, can somebody tell me why we haven’t at least cut them off from further help? Or better yet, repossessing all of their toys that say “Made in the USA” on them?

For all the Glorious Leader loves to blame his predecessor for anything and everything, you know Bush wouldn’t have stood for this shit!

Veritas Omnia Vincit

@7 The error there was burning the latrine and not the Afghan troops….some day we might get back to fighting wars intended to beat an opponent into an unconditional surrender and a complete cessation of hostilities instead of wars of occupation that accomplish nothing beyond a temporary regime change…

3/17 air cav

You can teach tactics;theory;use of weapons to the Iraq military. However, you can’t teach motivation.

It seems like every time we intercede on a country’s behalf,we leave, they get overrun. This is not going to end well.

2/17 Air Cav

“What they need is training and intelligence.” Potty training we can give them–with some difficulty, given comment 7– but the intelligence is one of those things that they either have or they haven’t. What a screwed-up world. I see some singer named Katy Perry just had her video cleansed b/c it was offensive to Muslims. And for once, I agree with that nut Louie Farrakhan. He is calling for all Muslims to relocate to Detroit. Perfect.

PFM

On the up side, I lost a watch on Victory in 2009 – I just might be able to go back and find it now 🙂

Hondo

PFM: must be a helluva good watch if you’re willing to go back and look for it . . . .(smile)

CBSenior

@PI We locked all our heads and made the contractors have an overseer when they cleaned them. One day we found that when they were cleaning they would call their buddies over. Not sure if it was a treasure hunt, meat gazing OP, or worse.

@2/17 CAV That is our point indirectly. They could not master potty training. So how the Fuck are they going to master anything more complicated.

Remember this grand nugget.

vietnam war protestor a.k.a. u.s.s. liberty

When ameriKKKa sows the wind it wonders why it reeps the whirlwind ? Don’t sow the wind and try bush and neo-con traitors for treason! Too bad gov. janbo vetoed the bill it would have been fun to watch the republican fascist police state of arizona be flushed down the toilet!

HS Sophomore

@16-I don’t know if you are aware of this, but ‘treason’ is a criminal charge that requires evidence of criminal wrongdoing to convict like any other. It covers providing aid and comfort to the enemy in time of war. Do you have any evidence that Bush did so? Does anyone else? Oh, and I know the answer to all of this, I’m just trying to make you think about what comes out of your cock holster and hopefully make your head explode by thinking about it.

Farflung Wanderer

@16: First, what the heck does Arizona have to do with anything you said prior? One second, “Bush’s a traitor because of Iraq!”, and the next “Too bad about Arizona, though.” Does this make—never mind, you typed it, so I guess it does make sense to you. Lemme fill you in, because I have time on my hands and, as Jimmy Stewart once said (well, the writers wrote it, but Stewart believed it), “sometimes the lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.” 1) Bush does not qualify for treason: A treasonous act involves a citizen (in this case, American) performing an act that creates or had created a clear and present danger against other citizens from a foreign power of some sort. Bush’s invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan was sanctioned by Congress as a police action, and was therefore legal. If you need any further proof as to how the world saw it, NATO and other American allies were deployed as well to assist. The deaths that happened afterwards were casualties of terrorist activities, not murder or second-hand murder at the hands of President Bush and his cabinet. 2) President Obama and his cabinet deserve to be tried for treason: On the other side of the coin, President Obama’s actions involving the assault on the American embassy in Libya does constitute as treason. Given that he had forces on hand that could have been deployed, his state department continued to ignore warnings of an attack, and other factors, the President could theoretically be charged for high treason and the abetting of an attack on American soil (as US embassies are considered American soil). 3) I really have no idea who you’re referring to with “Governor Janbo”. I’m fairly certain that the man doesn’t exist, or how any bill involving trying former President Bush (which, by the by, is not how you charge anyone with anything, as that is left to the legal system) would involve the destruction of Arizona. 4) Finally, Arizona is not a police state: A police state, by definition, is a government in which the… Read more »

Hondo

HS Sophomore: I can’t believe you used the word “thinking” while referring to “vietnam war protestor”.

Oh, well, you’re young. You have much time to learn. (smile)

Pinto Nag

@16 You wouldn’t know a “fascist police state” if one jumped up and bit you on the ass.

Farflung Wanderer

@20: Didn’t realize police states were flushable.

Maybe they used to be before the EPA started messing with the toilet industry?

Beretverde

Is there still oil there? Food for thought.

MrBill

@21 – if they’re not they should be.

vietnam war protestor a.k.a. u.s.s. liberty

@18 Be glad to. bush committed treason when he lied to congress american people and world about iraq building nuclear bombs. Remember mushroom clouds over american cities! He lied about yellow cake and aluminum tubes. The iraq forigen minister who had changed sides told cia no chemical or biological weapons let alone nuclear bombs only curve ball who was told(paid) to say what bush wanted to here every government said iraq was not building atomic bombs! Was it for haliburton to show up his old man or iraqi oil or to make people forget supreme court stealing the election for him whatever it is still treason and war crimes to get over 4,000 american troops killed on a lie that he knew at the time was a LIE!

Ex-PH2

@24 vwpussypants, does your mother know you’re on the internet again after your ‘lights out’ curfew? You need time on the quiet chair, sport.

If you’re going to use the word ‘treason’, try using it on yourself, splinky. And learn to use puncutuation. And stop trying to post things and pretend you know what you’re talking about, because you know absolutely nothing. You’re too lazy to dig up the answers, so you go on gossip.

Did you know about Gerald Bull’s construction of a rocket launch site, specifically built for missiles aimed at Israel? It was found during the Gulf War, shown on TV. Large enough to match Hitler’s buzz bombs. The centrifuges that Saddam Hussein built to refine yellowcake into fissionable material were built out of piping shipped from a manufacturer in the EEC. Some of thos shipments were stopped at the docks while they were being loaded. That was on the news, too, before the Gulf War happened, before Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.

Oh, yeah – those pesky, supposedly non-existent nuke things. Well, I do recall the repeated news releases about delays imposed on UN weapons inspectors, up to 10 days at a time.

This gave Saddam Hussein more than enough time to ship his weapons to Syria, which is where they are now and are being used in that whole ‘destroy Syria’ thingy going on there.

And in fact, the Syrian rebels have admitted that their chemical weapons came from Iraq.

It’s no longer of any interest to the newsies, so it doesn’t get reported quite so much.

Stop pretending that you know anything at all, and go climb back into your cardboard box. Your stuffed teddy is waiting for you. It’s lonely. Run along now.

Geez, I detest correcting stoned, buzzed-out zombies like this one.

A Proud Infidel

That brain-dead thing ain’t worth even one grain of cockroach poop, he’s fried his brains out sniffing glue over the years behind the 7-11!

HS Sophomore

@24—I think a little thing called 9/11 pretty much made people forget well and truly about the 2000 election, so I’d reevaluate that particular crackpot conspiracy theory. As for the rest—yeah, what Ex-PH2 said. Although I’d add in the bit about the Osirak reactor that our ‘friends’ the French helped build, and which our friends (real kind) the Israelis helpfully smashed into a million pieces. It was more than capable of producing weapons-grade radioactive material. The uranium used in that ‘research’ reactor was 93% enriched, so it’s possible Saddam could have just grabbed it and made it into a bomb (albeit a very small one). It’s also true that after a few years of operation, the reactor would have produced enough plutonium to mold into a warhead, and a rather large one. Now, that thing may have been destroyed prior to 9/11, but add up the Osirak reactor, the gassing of the Kurds, all the other prior stuff, Saddam’s delaying of the UN inspectors, and the fact that every other intelligence agency in the world thought Saddam was building WMD’s, it would have seemed more than reasonable to assume that Iraq had WMD’s or would develop them shortly in early 2003. Throw in the fact that al-Qaeda was in fact in Iraq before the invasion (this was confirmed by post-invasion assessments), and that Iraq had been suffering major civil unrest, and the next logical step is to assume that said WMD’s could fall into al-Qaeda hands (Bin Laden had been known to be trying to get his paws on nuclear material for a while by this point). I don’t defend the outcome of OIF, and I think Bush used some flawed methodology and shouldn’t have gone in, but there’s also more to the story than is told in the standard narrative.

3/17 air cav

@24…… Blah, Blah, Blah, go back to the club house. Don’t forget to use the orphan Annie decoder ring to gain entry.