It Will Take Years For The Iraqi Military To Reform, And Probably Longer To Finally Defeat The Islamic State

Iraqi security forces soldiers perform weapon formalization prior to conducting a live fire exercise at the Besmaya Range Complex, Iraq, (Spc. Eric Cerami/Army)

Todd South, Military Times: Why a self-reliant Iraqi military may take ‘years, if not decades’ and could require a ‘generation’ to reform

Despite reports that the Islamic State terrorist group has lost 99 percent of its territory and shifted to insurgent tactics in Iraq and Syria, a recent report said an enduring defeat of the organization could take “years, if not decades.”

This, according to Department of Defense information provided to investigators with the DoD Inspector General, is in large part due to what is still needed to make Iraqi security forces “self-reliant.”

“Systemic weaknesses remain, many of which are the same deficiencies that enabled the rise of ISIS in 2014,” according to the quarterly IG report on Operation Inherent Resolve, the counter-ISIS operation that spans Iraq and Syria.

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WNU Editor: Bottom line .... Iraq's low-level war against the Islamic State will continue for years until the Iraqi military has reformed itself, and the resources coupled with the political commitment from the Iraqi government has been committed.

Disturbing Graduation Ceremony For Iraqi Army Trainees (Video)

Joseph Trevithick, The Drive: This Disturbing Iraqi Special Forces Demo Is Like A Cheer Tryout From Hell

Iraq's elite troops show off martial arts skills, jump through a flaming hoop, and rip rabbits apart with their bare hands.

It’s not uncommon for military forces around the world to put both new recruits and existing troops through often strenuous and sometimes bizarre rituals to build camaraderie and esprit de corps. A recently released video of what may be a graduation ceremony for Iraqi Army trainees takes this to a whole new level with the troops following up a martial arts display by killing live animals.

On June 8, 2017, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense posted an official video of the event, which involved special forces recruits and took place on the 14th of July Bridge in the country’s capital, Baghdad, according to a crude machine translation of the title. There was no additional information. The span, named in honor of the day a military coup deposed the Iraqi monarchy in 1958, crosses the Tigris river and is a major route in and out of the city.

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WNU Editor: Ripping rabbits apart?!?!?!

An Inside Look At Iraq's 'Golden Division' And Their Push To Defeat ISIS In Mosul

The battalion on the outskirts of Mosul. Warzer Jaff for BuzzFeed News

Mike Giglio, BuzzFeed: The ISIS killers - Inside The Fight For Mosul

An elite group of Iraqi soldiers is leading the battle to free the city of Mosul from ISIS. The so-called “Golden Division” was formed and trained by the US to hunt terrorists — but in Mosul they have been thrown into brutal urban combat. Mike Giglio and Warzer Jaff accompanied them to the front lines for some of the decisive moments of the seven-month offensive. This is the story of their fight against ISIS and of the men they lost along the way.

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WNU Editor: A sobering on the ground report for the battle of Mosul.

Iraq's Band Of Brothers

The Golden Division of Iraqi special forces is led by Lt. Col. Ali Hussein Fadil, a modern Muslim warrior whose training was shaped by the U.S. invasion in 2003.

Chicago Tribune/L.A. Times: Iraqi band of brothers watch 'American Sniper,' play 'Call of Duty' – and they're out to recapture Mosul

Just before sunset on the first day of the Mosul offensive, Lt. Col. Ali Hussein Fadil called his soldiers to attention in a field about 30 miles east of the city where they had bivouacked.

After five months of training, and now three days of waiting, the 166-strong Najaf battalion of the Iraqi Special Forces known as Golden Division was itching to deploy. You have, he told them, exactly an hour and a half.

“Get ready and we will move toward Mosul,” Hussein said, his voice stern.

The troops paid close attention to their cleanshaven commander’s instructions, delivered in clipped Arabic: Don’t enter houses alone. Take your bazookas and RPGs. Target suicide bombers’ cars quickly before they reach us. Safety first. Commanders, be responsible for your soldiers. Beware of booby-traps and mines.

Some Iraqi commanders don’t emphasize worst-case scenarios, worried about scaring their troops. Hussein said he wanted his men to be prepared for the worst.

They are modern Iraqi warriors, their training shaped by the U.S. invasion in 2003 and the vigorous fighting alongside American troops that followed it.

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WNU editor: This story caught my eye for the simple reason that I am watching "Band Of Brothers" again for the tenth time (give or take).

Iraqi Soldiers Are Deserting The Fight Against The Islamic State And Are Fleeing For A Better Life In Europe

A member of the Iraqi security forces shows his passport as he prepares to travel, at the international airport in Najaf, south of Baghdad, September 3, 2015. REUTERS/ALAA AL-MARJANI

Reuters: Some Iraqis ditch fight against Islamic State for life in Europe

Some Iraqi soldiers are abandoning their posts and joining a wave of civilian migrants headed to Europe, raising new doubts about the cohesion of the country's Western-backed security forces in the fight against Islamic State militants.

Interviews with migrants and an analysis of social media activity show scores of fighters from the national army, police and special forces as well as Shi'ite militias and Kurdish peshmerga have left in recent months or plan to go soon.

They join more than 50,000 civilians who have left Iraq in the past three months, according to the United Nations, part of an even larger exodus from neighboring Syria and other conflict zones across the Middle East.

WNU Editor: There is some truth to this report. According to the UN organization responsible for refugees .... they are estimating that almost three quarters of the refugees fleeing to Europe right now are males between the ages of 18 - 35 .... in short ... males of military age. The UNHCR link is here.

Is The Iraqi Army A Lost Cause?

Sgt. Shawn Miller/US Army

Peter W. Galbraith, Daily Beast: Should We Give Up On The Iraqi Army?

The U.S. is training a national army for a nation that does not exist.

The Iraqi Army and Shiite militias have now launched an operation to retake Tikrit, a Sunni city 95 miles north of Baghdad that was Saddam Hussein’s hometown. The Americans are standing back. The U.S.-led coalition air forces are not flying missions in support because this is essentially an Iranian-organized and -led operation dominated by Shiite militias that answer to Tehran as much as Baghdad.

This may be the shape of things to come.

In mid-February, a Pentagon official made headlines by announcing an April-May time frame for an Iraqi offensive to take Mosul from the so-called Islamic State. Mosul is the second-largest city in Iraq. As The Daily Beast reported last week, the Pentagon now says the April/May date is no longer operative. The Iraqi Army, it was explained, is not ready.

WNU Editor: Iraq as we know it does not exist anymore. It is divided along sectarian lines .... and the Iraqi Army is now reflecting that.

Iraq Defense Minister: Rebuilding Army Will Take Time

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, second from left, shakes hands with military officials with Iraq Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi, left, during the Iraqi Army Day anniversary celebration, in Baghdad, Jan. 6, 2015. VOA

Reuters: Iraq says rebuilding of army still in early stages

WNU Editor: Talk about understatements .... it is going to take a lot more than just time to rebuild the Iraqi army.

More News On The Iraqi Defense Minister Admitting That It Will Take Time To Rebuild The Army

Iraq army being rebuilt to address weaknesses, says minister -- Daily Mail/AFP
Iraqi Minister Says Army Rebuilding Still In Early Stages -- Radio Free Europe
Iraq to continue rebuilding army -- Business Standard
Iraq to continue rebuilding army: officials -- Global Times/Xinhua

How Corruption In Iraq Is Crippling The War Against The Islamic State

Iraqi Army personnel take part during an intensive security deployment against Islamic State militants in Jurf al-Sakhar, October 27, 2014. Photo: Reuters/Mahmoud Raouf Mahmoud

Graft Hobbles Iraq’s Military in Fighting ISIS -- New York Times

BAGHDAD — One Iraqi general is known as “chicken guy” because of his reputation for selling his soldiers’ poultry provisions. Another is “arak guy,” for his habit of enjoying that anis-flavored liquor on the job. A third is named after Iraq’s 10,000-dinar bills, “General Deftar,” and is infamous for selling officer commissions.

They are just a few of the faces of the entrenched corruption of the Iraqi security forces, according to Iraqi officers and lawmakers as well as American officials.

The Iraqi military and police forces had been so thoroughly pillaged by their own corrupt leadership that they all but collapsed this spring in the face of the advancing militants of the Islamic State — despite roughly $25 billion worth of American training and equipment over the past 10 years and far more from the Iraqi treasury.

Now the pattern of corruption and patronage in the Iraqi government forces threatens to undermine a new American-led effort to drive out the extremists, even as President Obama is doubling to 3,000 the number of American troops in Iraq.

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More News On Corruption In The Iraqi Army

Iraqi Corruption Has Enabled ISIS Access To U.S. Weapons -- IBTimes
'Ghost' soldiers haunt Iraqi army -- Al-Monitor
Iraqi PM sacks 26 army commanders for incompetence and graft -- Zawya/Reuters
Iraq finance minister urges battle against graft in military -- Reuters
Iraq's top cleric says graft in army helped Islamic State -- Reuters

WNU Editor: This is a depressing read .... ISIS Militants Are Already Getting Their Hands on Recently Supplied US Weapons in Iraq -- CP

Update: How U.S. Weapons Fall Into the Hands of Terrorists: The perils of shipping arms to Iraq and Syria -- Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic

After Spending Billions Iraq's Security Forces Are Still Corrupt And Unable To Stem The Rising violence

Iraqi security forces look at a map during a raid and weapons search operation in Baquba, about 30 miles northeast of Baghdad, September 6, 2013. Mohammed Adnan/Reuters

Billions Of Dollars Later, Iraqi Security Forces Fall Short -- Christian Science Monitor

Despite US investment, Iraq's security forces remain corrupt, and Iraqis accuse them of abusing their power.

Khalid al-Mashhidani’s experiences with Iraqi security forces have been so bad that he says the least of his concerns is the day they broke into his house, damaged much of his furniture, set fire to his garden, and stole $40,000 in cash along with some gold he kept in the house.

Mr. Mashidani lives about 10 miles from the Taji prison that militants raided in late July. In the weeks after the raid, security forces searched the area for escapees and accomplices. Mashidani says the damage and alleged theft occurred during these searches while his family was not at home.

“I couldn’t do anything at that moment,” he says, describing how he felt upon seeing his house after the search. “I just looked at my damaged house and took a deep breath.”

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My Comment: The failure of Iraqi security forces to stem the sectarian violence is being felt throughout the country. As the violence continues .... Iraqis are now resorting to extreme measures to stop it.

New Threat For Iraqi Military: Drop In Oil Prices

In this photo taken Monday, May 11, 2009, Iraqi and U.S. army soldiers fire a mortar round during a military exercise in Latifiyah, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq. The fall in oil prices is threatening Iraq's efforts to build a military capable of defending the country, raising the possibility that the Iraqis will need substantial U.S. help for years after the Americans leave by 2012. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

From Yahoo News/AP:

BAGHDAD – Lower oil prices are threatening Iraq's efforts to build a military capable of defending the country, raising the possibility that the Iraqis will need substantial U.S. help for years after the Americans leave by 2012.

The budget crunch not only affects ground forces that bear the brunt of the fight against Sunni and Shiite extremists — it also slows development of an air force capable of defending the skies and a navy able to protect vital oil exporting facilities in the Persian Gulf from terror attacks.

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My Comment: Even if the price of oil goes down .... which I doubt .... the Iraqi Government will still spend the money and (if necessary) go into debt to rebuild and equip a national army. The Iraqis have learn through bitter experience what happens if they do not have a professional army in the wings..

All Iraqi Military And Police Units Are Not The Same

A platoon leader with E Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, asks an Iraqi man questions on security in Tahrir on Thursday. The mission was intended to be a joint effort with Iraqi police, but none showed up.

Some Troops Say Iraqis Need To Do More -- Stars And Stripes

TAHRIR, Iraq — As Iraqi security forces continue to take the lead on missions in much of the country, the U.S. military has generally — and deliberately — slipped into the background.

But at an irritable area bordering Baqouba, where there are fears that recent gains made by an Iraqi-led offensive could be lost, the opposite has happened.

Manpower issues and a perceived lack of initiative by Iraqi police have forced soldiers with Company E, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, out of Vilseck, Germany, to patrol Tahrir mainly alone.

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My Comment: This is one reason why American forces will be staying in Iraq for a very long time. U.S. combat troops will eventually be out .... but there will still be a large American contingent in Iraq for a very long time.