Why The Iraqi Army Can't Fight

Capt. John M. Costello, a U.S. military adviser for 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade of the 7th Iraqi Army Division looks at a map with an Iraqi soldier before patrolling the streets of Tammim. /U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ryan S. Scranton

Why Iraqi Army Can't Fight, Despite $25 Billion In U.S. Aid, Training -- L.A. Times

Can 1,400 U.S. advisors rebuild Iraq's military to repel Islamic State? Interviews with troops raise doubts.

Hussein Shehab knew things were going badly when he spotted the Iraqi police pickup trucks. They were flying the black flag of Islamic State fighters, who were driving the vehicles straight toward him and his fellow Iraqi security force soldiers.

It was June 9 in Mosul in northern Iraq. Shehab, a federal paramilitary police officer assigned to an army unit, realized that other officers had abandoned their vehicles and fled Islamic State fighters who were about to seize Iraq's second-largest city.

By the end of the day, Shehab's entire division had collapsed. Two army divisions also disintegrated as thousands of soldiers and police officers shed their uniforms, dropped their weapons and ran for their lives. Shehab, told that his commanders had deserted, tossed his rifle and ran away too.

"We felt like cowards, but our commanders were afraid of Daesh. They were too afraid to lead us," said Shehab, 43, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

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My Comment: To put it bluntly .... this time consuming and expensive training program proved to be a disaster. Throwing in 1,400 US advisers, a few dollars, and a commitment to spend the next few months to rebuild this force .... I am not buying this "hopeful" Pentagon assessment.