http://www.star-telegram.com/279/story/150534.html


Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Posted on Wed, Jun. 27, 2007

Iraqis incapable of taking over, officials say

By ROBERT H. REID

The Associated Press

BAGHDAD -- American military commanders seriously doubt that Iraqi security forces will be able to hold the ground that U.S. troops are fighting to clear -- gloomy predictions that strike at the heart of Washington's key strategy in Iraq.

What's new

Several senior American officers have warned in recent days that Iraqi soldiers and police are still incapable of maintaining security on their own in the most crucial areas, including Baghdad and the recently reclaimed districts around Baqouba to the north. "The challenge now is: How do you hold onto the terrain you've cleared?" said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek, the operations chief of the current offensive in Baqouba. Although some Iraqi units appear competent, the U.S. military complains that many others lack ammunition, weapons and an adequate supply network to operate on their own. Leadership in many units is weak, and the force has yet to develop the professional spirit to cope with adversity. Iraqi troops manning checkpoints often wave through cars carrying women or children without proper searches, U.S. troops complain. U.S. officials want Iraqi forces to number about 390,000 by the end of the year. The State Department sets the number of those Iraqi security forces that are fully "trained and equipped" at slightly more than 353,000.

Why it matters

Iraqi units are supposed to be moving into position to take the baton from the Pentagon. This was the backbone of the plan President Bush announced in January when he ordered five more U.S. brigades, or about 30,000 soldiers, to Iraq. The goal is to reduce the violence to a level where the Iraqis can cope so that Americans can begin to go home. But that outcome is looking ever more elusive. The fear is that U.S. troops will pay for territory with their lives, only to have Iraqi forces lose control once the Americans move on. Unless Iraqis can step up, the United States will face tough choices in months ahead as pressure mounts in the Democratic-controlled Congress to draw down the nearly 160,000-strong U.S. force.

Online: www.state.gov

www.centcom.mil

If they cannot take care of themselves then what in the hell are we supposed to do?

Baby sit Iraq?

Come on .... this is way out of hand.

Bush has screwed our country and our young men and women big time.

He wants to turn it into another South Korea...50 plus years.

:mad:

I don't get it.

Israeli's take care of themselves. Iraqis under Saddam took care of themselves. Kurds take care of themselves. Saudis take care of themselves.

This is just a cover story to keep us there in perpetuity.

They clearly COULD take care of themselves, but cannot seem to get the average Iraqi to be willing to put his life on the line to protect his family, his friends, his country.

At the same time, PLENTY of Iraqis are joining the insurgency, learning all about making and planting IEDs, becoming sharpshooters...

Necessity is the mother of invention. We need to give the Iraqis the necessity of crushing the insurgency, and they will damned well invent a means. Oh, they might be brutal about it, might ratchet up the civil war - until they look around and realize that nobody cares any more, and decide maybe cooperating to get the oil flowing and making themselves filthy rich might be more fun than blowing each other up.

Right. We just pack up and leave then they either do it right or they don't. I don't care anymore as long as not one more American dies and Bush comes clean about all his lie's.

He owes us the truth about his war profiteering. They were definitely better off before we liberated them.