Iraqi Desertions Complicate U.S. Mission

[Barrett808]

Iraqi Desertions Complicate U.S. Mission
By ANTONIO CASTANEDA, Associated Press Writer

BIDIMNAH, Iraq - Just two days before a mission to send hundreds of Iraqi soldiers after insurgents in this troubled western part of Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi commanders confronted an untimely problem — an Iraqi battalion commander was suddenly fired for incompetence.

The commander's soldiers, a third of those assigned to the mission, would be absent for an operation designed in part to introduce the unit to residents in this town between the troubled cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, about 50 miles west of Baghdad.

The missing battalion underscored what U.S. commanders call the Iraqi army's most glaring weakness in this restive part of the country: a shortage of soldiers able to take on their own "battle space," or areas where they are primarily responsible for security.

The lack of Iraqi troops has complicated not only the operation in Bidimnah early Sunday, but also the broader mission here in Anbar province.

American commanders said an entire Iraqi brigade, about 2,500 troops, has taken over parts of the nearby city of Khaldiyah and an adjacent agrarian area from U.S. troops. But U.S. military advisers who mentor the Iraqi unit said just over half those assigned Iraqi soldiers were actually present.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060131/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_army_desertions

[sabra]

1. can't wait for to hear about this in tonight's SOTU

:sarcasm:

[libodem]

3. No shit!

[leftchick]

2. well it is facilitating the PNAC/Neofreak mission

now isn't it? And that is all that matters.