1,300 Iraqi troops, police dismissed

1,300 Iraqi troops, police dismissed

news.yahoo.com

The Iraqi government has dismissed about 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted or refused to fight during last month's offensive against Shiite militias and criminal gangs in Basra, officials said Sunday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said 921 police and soldiers were fired in Basra.

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Related News Links:
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Its nice to know we are building up the Iraqi police and military force only to have 1,300 of them fired. Why don't we just stay in Iraq indefinitely before the Iraqis get their stuff together? Its not like the American taxpayer is footing the bill or American soldiers are paying with blood.

Last month, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the security forces to confront armed groups in Basra, Iraq's second largest city.

But they met fierce resistance and the attack quickly ground to a halt as fighting flared across the Shiite south and Baghdad.

Since then, government officials have revealed that about 1,000 members of the security forces — including an entire infantry battalion — had mutinied, on some cases handing over vehicles and weapons to the militias.

So the US taxpayers are now funding militias in Iraq. Nice. I'm really glad we could be of service to the men and women fighting the occupation. Maybe I'd like to have a say in that next time.

This war has become a nightmare. How will we ever leave if the Iraqis desert? Looks like McCain's 100 years war may be right on the money.




news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Of course some of the Police and soldiers are going to be against the invaders commands.
They're all going to have different opinions too, because they are what we call 'people'.

So, once again this impossible mission we call 'The war on terror' once again, is shown to be the farce it really is.

America is terrified of leaving Iraq to rebuild, because then.... those maimed children and devasted families will maybe one day seek repayment.

So, a secure Iraq is impossible, that's why the Police will never truly Police Iraq.

Sad, but true.

How do you manage to hire 1300 Iraqis' worthy of firing all at once? I mean a few dozen maybe, but 1300? What exactly seems to be the problem with training these guys? Something stinks.

The refused to fight the mahdi army during the recent battles in Basra.
Fair enough too, their families, their homes, their relatives would all be at risk from militia death squads prowling the streets at night.

Better to be broke with your family, then fed and alone.

Problem is, a majority of this 1300 I fear will just be mahdi army militia, whom posed as Iraqi police force for intellegence.

Now, the Mahdi army has 1300 extra recruits, whom are probably armed ( where did all those Ak's/pistols & ammo dissapear too ) and know locations on training facilities, officials and also whom are in the army.

A crappy situation just got crapier.

reply to post by mr-lizard

They're all going to have different opinions too, because they are what we call 'people'.

Very funny and true.

I'd like to see the US leave Iraq tomorrow, but the chances of that happening seem to get worse and worse. The police and military are not going to step up and take control of this country because they know as soon as we leave, the civil war will get worse.

We're damned if we leave, damned if we stay. We should have listened to what Cheney said back in the 1990s about how bad of an idea it would have to invade Iraq. Its the "quagmire" just as he said it would be.



reply to post by achilles5233

Khalaf said that 500 soldiers who have been absent without leave since the campaign ended on March 30 had also been dismissed and would be tried by military courts.

"Some of them were sympathetic with these lawbreakers, some refused to (go into) battle for political or national or sectarian or religious reasons," Khalaf said.

Some of them were fired because they sided with the militias. Others didn't want to get involved in a fight that wasn't their own. Go figure.

Here's the main reason:

The majority of Iraqi soldiers and police are Shiites. Many of the government troops were said to have been reluctant to confront fellow Shiites in battle

Its about religion...