Americans Forced to Supply Iraqi Military with ammunition, food, fuel

Americans Forced to Supply Iraqi Military

http://www.salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8FHQFSO6.html

By ANTONIO CASTANEDA Associated Press Writer

February 03,2006 | KHALDIYAH, Iraq -- The troops on patrol in this city west of Baghdad are Iraqi, part of the U.S. strategy to hand over more responsibility to the new Iraqi military. But the ammo in their weapons and the fuel in their vehicles were delivered by the Americans.

U.S. commanders have identified the lack of an effective supply chain as a major weakness of Iraq's military, and until one is in place, the United States and its coalition partners cannot fully hand over security responsibilities. "The biggest weakness that the Iraqi army has right now is logistics -- where to get the stuff, how to get it. They just don't have it yet," said Marine Maj. Ted Wong of San Francisco, who helps train Iraqi soldiers in this sector 50 miles from Baghdad. For example, the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Iraqi Division recently took over security responsibilities from American forces in most of this Sunni Arab city in volatile Anbar province.

But most of the supplies still come from a nearby American base -- delivered by American convoys. Trucks that ferry Iraqi soldiers refuel at the U.S. base. Food for the Iraqi soldiers is provided by Western contractors -- whose local offices are protected within the American compound.

Ammunition for the Iraqis comes from U.S. stocks, said Marine Col. Daniel Newell, who heads a team of advisers working with Iraqi soldiers. "They don't have a logistics resupply system," said Col. Regis Cardiff, deputy commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division. "For the (Iraqi army) to be totally (independent) and for us to be out of battle space completely, they need to have a system."

:mad:

we're providing everything overthere...except clean water, sewers, 24/7 electricity. The least we can do is give them ammunition.