In a sobering account of the Iraqi Army’s combat readiness, The New York Times’ Campbell Robertson reports from Khan Bani Saad: While Americans and Iraqi civilians alike are increasingly eager to see combat operations turned over to the Iraqi Army, interviews with more than a dozen Iraqi soldiers and officers in Diyala Province, at the [...]
Archive for the ‘ISF’ Category
Iraqi Officers See Disaster When U.S. Leaves
Posted in Iraq, ISF on August 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
As Security Improves, Iraq Buys More Arms
Posted in Iraq, ISF on August 4, 2008 | 2 Comments »
In a sign that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s government seeks to build a new national security state over the ruins of the previous one, Pentagon last Friday announced military sales to Iraq worth some $9 billion. AFP has the details: The biggest proposed sale was for 392 Light Armored Vehicles, radios and anti-tank weapons [...]
Maliki’s Army Enters Diyala to Simulate Combat
Posted in Iraq, ISF on July 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
In a sure sign that security has greatly improved in Diyala, the Iraqi Army has ventured out of its barracks to conduct one of its live combat simulations in the province. Touted as a “major offensive” by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the U.S. military and the skeleton crew of journalists still in Iraq, the operation [...]
Mosul: SNAFU
Posted in Iraq, ISF, Mosul on June 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Juan Cole has an update: Al-Zaman reports in Arabic that the security situation has taken a dramatic turn for the worse in Mosul. Yesterday a bombing killed 2 and wounded 90 persons, and a municipal leader was assassinated; in addition, a roadside bombing killed 3 US troops and their interpreter. An informed source told the [...]
Maliki Extends Deadline in Amara
Posted in Iraq, ISF, Shia on June 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Déjà vu. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has extended the deadline for Shia fighters in Amara to surrender themselves. This is becoming something of a habit. Amnesty was also offered to militants in Mosul after a much-advertised government crackdown failed to produce results. Today, the terrorists are back with a vengeance. Here’s a tight and [...]
Iraqis Take Anbar, But Can They Hold It?
Posted in Iraq, ISF on June 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Marines will transfer control of Anbar to the Iraqi Army on Saturday. I’m sure this will greatly bolster the self-confidence of the local Sunnis and give them a new sense of autonomy and direction. Still, the Reuters story leaves the most important questions unanswered. Among them: Which Iraqi units will take over from Kelly’s [...]
Iraq: The Growing Threat of Coup d’Etat
Posted in Iraq, ISF on June 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Stephen Biddle of CFR has many words of praise about the improved situation in Iraq. Alas, there’s this one tiny little “issue”: The Iraqi Security Forces are now so large that there’s some danger of Praetorianism—a coup d’état—growing in Iraq. Interestingly, when you look back to the pre-Petraeus era [before Gen. David Petraeus took command [...]
Amara: Bad News as Good News
Posted in Iraq, ISF on June 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Here’s a piece of bad news masquerading as good news: Iraqi security forces met little resistance Thursday on Day 1 of the government’s crackdown in the southern city of Amarah as they sought to disarm gunmen loyal to the militant Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al Sadr. Iraqi defense officials said there were no casualties or [...]
ISF in Amara: They’re Shooting at Us, Let’s Consult!
Posted in Iraq, ISF on June 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The role of U.S. troops in the crackdown in Amara will be “consultative”, according to General Abdul-Kareem Khalaf of MoI. Sure — I bet the Apaches are already patrolling the skies of Maysan, readying their Hellfires for “consultation”… Okay, sorry. I mean no disrespect, it’s just that all the glowing reports of ISF success have [...]
Iraqi force development: Telling it like it is
Posted in Iraq, ISF on June 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It seems I’m no longer alone with my rants against the “Iraqis are taking the lead” meme now in vogue in the Western media. Anthony Cordesman and Adam Mausner of CSIS have just issued a devastating analysis on Iraqi force development, basically calling the glowing reports on the Iraqi Army’s performance what they are — [...]
