Sionnach
01-18-2007, 12:04
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244403,00.html
al Maliki said: “If we succeed in implementing the agreement between us to speed up the equipping and providing weapons to our military forces, I think that within three to six months our need for American troops will dramatically go down. That is on condition that there are real, strong efforts to support our military forces and equipping and arming them.”
The U.S. government is wary of handing over large amounts of military hardware to the Iraqis because it has sometimes ended up in the hands of militias and insurgents.
Perhaps the folks who've been to Iraq, or have a better understanding of the culture in the Middle East, can enlighten me.
I feel we need to get the Iraqi Army equipped and trained, but what about the infiltration of the Iraqi Army be Sadrists, et. al? I've read that the police and interior ministry forces are often infiltrated, but what about the Army?
I don't want to train and equip guys who are going to turn around and use that knowledge and equipment to attack my countrymen. I also believe the Iraqi PM is a part of the problem, but I'm basing that on anecdotal evidence and incomplete information.
Without violating OpSec, how can we train and equip the Iraqi Army and, at the same time, weed out the terrorist asshats to prevent them from gaining said training and equipment?
Is it possible to instill a sense of national pride in these young men, or will religion/tribal/ethnic affiliation always dominate any sense of nationality?
al Maliki said: “If we succeed in implementing the agreement between us to speed up the equipping and providing weapons to our military forces, I think that within three to six months our need for American troops will dramatically go down. That is on condition that there are real, strong efforts to support our military forces and equipping and arming them.”
The U.S. government is wary of handing over large amounts of military hardware to the Iraqis because it has sometimes ended up in the hands of militias and insurgents.
Perhaps the folks who've been to Iraq, or have a better understanding of the culture in the Middle East, can enlighten me.
I feel we need to get the Iraqi Army equipped and trained, but what about the infiltration of the Iraqi Army be Sadrists, et. al? I've read that the police and interior ministry forces are often infiltrated, but what about the Army?
I don't want to train and equip guys who are going to turn around and use that knowledge and equipment to attack my countrymen. I also believe the Iraqi PM is a part of the problem, but I'm basing that on anecdotal evidence and incomplete information.
Without violating OpSec, how can we train and equip the Iraqi Army and, at the same time, weed out the terrorist asshats to prevent them from gaining said training and equipment?
Is it possible to instill a sense of national pride in these young men, or will religion/tribal/ethnic affiliation always dominate any sense of nationality?