Senior Iraqi: US troops needed for "AT LEAST A DECADE" to prevent chaos

This leapt out at me from the front-page Times story on the poor performance of Iraqi security officers.


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/30/international/middleeast/30police.html?adxnnl=1&oref=login&adxnnlx=1101844337-VP/uW2aqXPCxJzre79FPIA

While Bush administration officials say that the training is progressing and that there have been instances in which the Iraqis have proved tactically useful and fought bravely, local American commanders and security officials say both Iraqi forces are riddled with problems.

In the most violent provinces, they say, the Iraqis are so intimidated that many are reluctant to show up and do not tell their families where they work; they have yet to receive adequate training or weapons, present a danger to American troops they fight alongside, and are unreliable because of corruption, desertion or infiltration.

Given the weak performance of Iraqi forces, any major withdrawal of American troops for at least a decade would invite chaos, a senior Interior Ministry official, whose name could not be used, said in an interview last week.

We will be there long after I die unless the powers-that-be come to their senses and pull the plug.

soldier in the US? Other countries? SHouldn't they be trained well within a year? Then we can get the hell out of there (like yesterday).

and enemies of the resistance, aka the insurgency. They're trying to assemble 100,000 moving targets.

is gone, they will start feeling some nationalism or whatever for their own leadership/government and we can get the hell out already

We've put them in an untenable situation. We've turned them into collusionists. They're like hall monitors in junior high. And I think most are doing it for money, but given a choice between money or their life, they'll choose the latter.

won't look at their own government as the enemy;let them train under their own gov.

Iraqi government, do you? They're only having that election then because the Bushists would lose face if they don't. The election won't solve a damn thing.

Surely we can train the Iraqi army to be as good as the US army in a year?

not I.

Got any suggestions?

You are the one who supposedly knows how long it should have taken to train the troops.

I have made no claims of expertise or requiring expertise. Now you are just repeating what I say back to you. "I know what you are but what am I" is not a valid debate tactic.

dumbass potshots at others.

"enduring bases" in a country if you intend on leaving anytime soon.

This official is just stating the obvious.

to the many people in this country who wouldnt see the obvious if it climbed up thier noses.