Iraqi perspective of war against ISIS
AW1Ed sends us an Associated Press article in which they talk to Iraqi Lieutenant General Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi one of the lead commanders in the war against ISIS;
Yet al-Saadi is deeply pessimistic. In a two-hour interview with The Associated Press, he said Iraq’s military lacks weapons, equipment and battle-ready troops and complained that U.S. air support was erratic. Both the military and the government remain riddled with corruption, he said. Most of the senior generals serving when the military fell apart had skills “more suited to World War II,” he said.
“If things don’t get better,” warned the general, “the country could end up divided” between its Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish populations.
Well, I wonder what they’ve been doing over there since we left in December 2011. The active and reserve forces total about 800,000 troops and this year’s US Defense Budget includes $1.3 billion in aid. The general’s last line should scare everyone – that was Joe Biden’s plan for the partition of Iraq – since Joe has been on the wrong side of history since he went to Congress, if we adopt a plan that was his, it will fail.
A veteran of Iraq’s 1980-88 war against Shiite Iran, al-Saadi said he turned down offers of help from Iranian military advisers in retaking Beiji. Iran has been closely helping Iraq’s government in the fight against the extremists.
“If I had accepted help from non-Iraqis, the history books will say the victory was not ours, the Iraqis,” he said.
Well, unless Americans are non-Iraqis. It’s interesting to note that al-Saadi is a Shi’ite, but he seems to put the future of his country ahead of his religious beliefs, at least as far as Iran is concerned.
Category: Terror War
He doesn’t realize that even for US Army units, air support can be erratic.
The Iranian Army was in Iraq for a decade already, they’ll help whoever benefits Iran whether Extremists, Iraqi Gummint, etc.
Maybe the General should make a special task force to hunt down all the people who stole money, take it back and put it back into the coffers so they can get what they need.
We dumped far too much money into people’s hands there and instead of using it for rebuilding, they pocketed it.
Instead of making them fish for themselves, we kept fishing for them and then giving them money for fishing boats, poles, bait, that we didn’t make them use.
Going from the dictatorship extreme to the full democracy extreme in a handful of years also helped add to that corruption of excess, laziness, and taking money they wouldn’t be held accountable for stealing.
Far too much “Inshyaallah” attitude there.
When he stops complaining about the US and starts complaining 100% that Iraq needs to take care of itself then he’ll acknowledge the problem.
ISIS don’t complain a out lack of materiel, weapons, training, air support, etc. Time for the General to quit making excuses and fish or cut bait.
““the country could end up divided” between its Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish populations.”
Based on my experience in Iraq, it seems like a good idea to me. We may see it whether we like it or not.
Except for when other countries immediately try to annex those areas because they can’t resist. Kurds would probably be slaughtered by the Turks after Shiite and Sunni areas devolve into the surrounding nations.
So culturally in that region what this guy is doing is a huge social no. The only reason he’s discribing such a bleak situation is because he wants more US money and believes Americas government is easily manipulated.
I’m done with Islamic countries. Every so often when the rabble populates too much we should go in, shoot them in the face, then go home. There is no changing incompatible with civilization death culture and domination political ideologies masquerading as religion. Islam and those that subscribe to that horse shit can enjoy the insufferable hell holes it creates. They can also stay in those hell holes and not try mass migration out bringing their bullshit culutural jihads to nice places.