Fewer Iraq battalions operate on own: U.S. general (from 10 to 6 in 2 months)

[Barrett808]

Source: Reuters

Fewer Iraq battalions operate on own: U.S. general
By Kristin Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Iraqi army battalions that operate independently, with no assistance from U.S. forces, has dropped from 10 to six over the last two months, the top U.S. general said on Friday.

But Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, downplayed the figure's importance, saying the decline was driven by casualties, worn-out equipment and the need to pull units from battle so they can be resupplied.

"The fact that a number may be changing in a very narrow band shouldn't be overly a concern," Pace told reporters.

Pace's comments came a day after the Bush administration issued a report showing Iraqi security forces were unable to fight without substantial support from coalition troops.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070713/ts_nm/iraq_usa_independent_dc

[atreides1]

1. Pace is still an idiot

"...the need to pull units from battle so they can be resupplied."

Yet our troops get sent in with the hope that they might get rotated, though not guaranteed.


"The fact that a number may be changing in a very narrow band shouldn't be overly a concern,"

A narrow band, they've lost 40% of their strength in 60 days, that's not narrow that's a disaster!

[Up2Late]

6. How many Troops in a Battalion, because NPR reported Friday that they were down to 3000 Troops...

...who could operate independently. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11959162>

This really doesn't surprise me at all, since I think all we are giving them to work with is Small Arms, Uniforms, maybe a few sets of Body Armor and a few HumVees to work with.

I mean, I really don't see GWBush and fools on the Hill ever fully arming the Iraqi Military as long as our guys are there. And by that I mean, are we REALLY going to supply them Tanks? Fighter Jets? A-10s? Bradley M2 / M3 Tracked Armoured Fighting Vehicles?

I don't see that happening for a LONG time.

[Hissyspit]

2. Oh, my god... Joseph Heller himself couldn't satirize this madness.

:crazy:

[Warren Stupidity]

3. Yeah! We're Winning! More Money For More War! Go Team!

Sportdatroops! Kill the muslim bastards! Go USA!111!!!11!!1!!

[codepinkdc]

4. the occupation drags on...

This is so sad. Yet another sign of our failure to help the
Iraqi people get back on their feet after we toppled their
government. It is so clear that this war is not about freeing
or helping anyone. It is about occupying Iraq for years to
come. Leaving our troops in the country is doing nothing to
stabilize Iraq in the long run, if anything its just making
the Iraqi government weaker so that when we finally do leave,
the chaos and destruction will be much worse.

Why is this article so small? This should be the information
that we see on the front page on the Times! Everyone should
know the futility of our continued presence in Iraq,
especially our Senators and Congresspeople!!!

[rodeodance]

5. as US troops step up-the Iraqi troops step down

[Theduckno2]

7. Wouldn't you like to be Gen. Pace's financial adviser?

"Well, gee General, I know you purchased your stock for $10,000. just two months ago and now it is only worth $6,000. But it has been trading in a narrow range and you shouldn't be overly concerned about the drop in value."

Why can't we give them equipment from four of our battalions and have our 4 battalions stand down (maybe even come home)? After all, these Iraqi battalions supposedly can operate independently.

[RamboLiberal]

8. Gaps in Training Iraqi Forces Worry Top U.S. Commanders

Source: NY Times

American commanders said Friday that the effort to train Iraqi Army and police units had slowed in recent months and would need to be expanded to enable any large-scale reduction in American force levels.

The problem has arisen, several senior officers said Friday, in large part because preparing Iraqi units to operate without American backing had become a secondary goal under the current war strategy, which has emphasized protecting Iraqis and the heavy use of American combat power.

The acknowledgment of gaps in the program to train Iraqis came a day after President Bush’s own interim assessment found that two central pillars of the current strategy, including training, were coming up short.

The other main shortcoming was in the program to increase the number of provincial reconstruction teams, an effort described as a “civilian surge” by the White House, which is only halfway to its goal.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/14/washington/14policy.html

[freethought]

9. NPR had a segment on the so-called Iraqi "Army"

"Abysmal" was the word they could have used. The number of Iraqi soldier capable and equipped sufficiently to do the job themselves was put around 3000 and declining. There wasn't much optimism for the trend to improve either.

[sutz12]

10. Four years and counting...doing a heckuva job!

:sarcasm:

[ClintonTyree]

11. As long as Bush is willing to sacrifice American lives....

in an attempt to quell the sectarian violence Iraqis see no reason to risk their own lives. They aren't going to "step up", so American forces can forget about ever "stepping down". Bush, of course, is too ignorant to see this or too arrogant to believe it. Everything has to go according to his "road map for victory" (apparently missing a few pages) or it's not going to go at all. Bush's ego and his precious legacy depend upon it. This is what happens when you give the reins of power to a developmentally arrested megalomaniac.

[Up2Late]

13. The other main shortcoming - increase the number of provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs)

Gee, I can't imagine why EVERY American wouldn't want to go to Iraq UN-ARMED to try to fix up the Iraqi infrastructure while there is a WAR going on.:banghead:

The Chicago Public Radio show "This American Life" did a great segment about this problem last week, you should still be able to get the FREE Mp3 download at this link until Monday A.M.: <http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=336> or you can stream it after that at this link: <http://www.thislife.org/>

[calimary]

12. When you carry a very young toddler around all the time, he or she has

very little motivation to learn to walk on his/her own. I found that out as a mom. Clearly, bush left ALL the child-rearing to laura.