ViceZilla’s Views

Retreating Iraqi Military

Reports of Iraqi soldiers abandoning their posts, and refusing to fight the enemy are getting to be regular headlines. A few weeks back during the Iraqi crackdown in Basra, it was well reported of the soldiers who laid down their arms or deserted, refusing to fight their countrymen. How noble.

I don’t particularly fault the fighting men of the Iraqi military for not wanting to fight their countrymen, it is after all not their war. But that being said, if their country is not worth them fighting for it, then we shouldn’t be fighting for it either.

I can see a nasty trend happening in the future. For as long as our troops remain in Iraq, they will be forced to pick up the slack of the Iraqi military. All it will take for the Iraqi’s to keep us fighting on the front lines, will be for the Iraqi military to turn around and leave, which is just what happened today. About 50 Iraqi troops had enough, and just turned around and left their posts, leaving US troops holding the fort, so to speak.

A US company commander pleaded with the Iraqi major who was leading his troops, urging him to return to the front:

“If you turn around and go back up the street those soldiers will follow you,” Captain Veath said. “If you tuck tail and cowardly run away they will follow up that way, too.”

His pleas fell on deaf ears as the major led his men away from the Sadr City fight.

Regardless of what our politicians tell us, it’s the opinions of the men in the trenches that matter most. Bush says “real progress is being made in Iraq,” but troops opinions differ. A US platoon sergeant had this to say about the Iraqi retreat:

“It bugs the hell out of me. We don’t see any progress being made at all. We hear these guys in firefights. We know if we are not up there helping these guys out we are making very little progress.”

As long as Bush and his successor keep troops in Iraq, without at least a deadline for withdrawal, this scenario will continue to be a common headline in our newspapers. Read more

Tags: War in Iraq //