U.S.: Iraqi Forces Gaining Effectiveness

[Barrett808]

U.S.: Iraqi Forces Gaining Effectiveness
By DENIS D. GRAY, Associated Press Writer

TIKRIT, Iraq - When Iraq's 202nd National Guard Battalion faced insurgents six months ago, it simply, in the words of one American general, "evaporated." Now, the same outfit, tested in recent combat, is being touted as a vital building block of the force the United States says will increasingly replace its own troops on the front lines.

Storming into the insurgent stronghold of Samarra with the Americans, the 202nd and other Iraqi units seized two holy sites and a large industrial complex, conducting house-to-house searches and raids on militant hideouts, according to U.S. military accounts.

"The good news is that the Iraqi forces are on their feet and getting better every day," said Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who commanded the operation. "Our work to train and equip Iraqi security forces is beginning to pay off in spades."

Few if any Western journalists saw Iraqi units in action in Samarra. With reliable, firsthand accounts of the Oct. 1 battle still to emerge, it's difficult to determine whether the U.S. assessment is overly optimistic or if Samarra was indeed a milestone.

"They didn't run. They did fight. That's a contrast to a few months ago. It's a first step," says James Dobbins, a military analyst with the U.S.-based RAND Corporation, noting that belated U.S. moves to build a strong Iraqi military are gaining momentum.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041008/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_taking_over&cid=540&ncid=1480

[wtmusic]

1. Not running away

is a definite asset to have with your soldiers on the ground

[Streetdoc270]

2. "They didn't run"

gee.... thats setting the bar REALLY low.

[atreides1]

3. Well

With 3,000 American troops with armored fighting vehicles, tanks, and attack helicopters, standing in front of them, on the side of them, and behind them, it's easy to see why they didn't "evaporate" this time.

[punpirate]

4. Wonder when we start...

... referring to them as ARVN? :eyes:

[daleo]

5. ARVN

Didn't the Pentagon say the same thing about the South Vietnamese Army about 30 or so years ago.

[Cocoa]

8. don't say that to Rummy

he HATES it when people compare Iraq to Vietnam.

By the way, yes, I understand one of the biggest lies in Vietnam was about the effectiveness of the Vietnamese military.

[whistle]

6. The test of Iraqi troop effectiveness is to not run, but to stay and kill.

...Iraqis?

[sistersofmercy]

7. "US, Iraqi forces" funny how the media has picked that up lately!

Just how many Iraqi forces are there working side by side with US forces? Anybody got a number? Just curious.

[jayfish]

9. Ohhhh, "The Insurgent Stronghold Of Samarra."

The Grenada Invasion of the new Iraqi army. We will see how effective they have become when they try to take Falluja back.

Jay

[Barrett808]

13. To the contrary: Samarra is a trap laid by insurgents

It's like Iraq in miniature: easy to take, impossible to hold. The insurgents have thoroughly infiltrated the ING and police; I expect within weeks of US withdrawal, Samarra will revert to insurgent control.

[daleo]

10. During the debate, Cheney was bragging about how many

Iraqi national guard were getting killed. Now they are telling us they are great fighters. Whatever. Poor guys - propaganda pawns.

[Steelangel]

11. I wonder if they somehow decide to turn around

and fight against US army someday?

[nolabels]

12. Are they anything like the police in Iraq?

Iraq's New Police: Scared, but at Least Employed
by Edward Wong, New York Times
October 3rd, 2004
(snip)
But these days, the Iraqi police spend as much time protecting themselves as guarding the public. The police are key targets in the insurgents' campaign to cripple the interim Iraqi government, and hospital wards are filling with dazed men lying in blood-drenched blue uniforms.

To listen to Iraq's new police officers is to hear the voices of under-equipped and under-trained men, often unnerved by the danger but determined to work. They hope that if they can feed their families and calm their country, their lives may get better. They say they are committed to building a new Iraq, but many are skeptical about the Americans who insist they were sent here to do the same thing. Some even say they are willing to turn their guns on the soldiers.

At least 750 police officers were killed between the fall of Baghdad in April 2003 and June this year, according to Interior Ministry statistics, and scores more have been slain since then. In addition, hundreds of potential recruits were killed in bombings.

In the southern city of Basra, some policemen have begun wearing black ski masks to hide their identities, giving them more than a passing resemblance to the shadowy jihadists they are supposed to be fighting.
(snip)
http://www.occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=711

[n2mark]

14. Call me a doubter

but this is out the day of the second debate?