Four out of 10 desert new security force when under fire

[leftchick]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/02/02/wirq102.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/02/02/ixworld.html

Col Ahmed Ibrahim, an officer in the new Iraqi army, should be taking the fight to insurgents in the northern town of Mosul.

Instead he sits in an almost empty barracks at a United States Army base, mourning the desertion of most of his men. The future of Iraq's security rests upon the shoulders of men such as Col Ibrahim, but so far the country's security forces have performed disastrously whenever confronted with determined insurgent activity.

Following Sunday's election, the focus is now on training enough men in uniform to allow the American and British armed forces to begin leaving. Coalition commanders admit that, among the 125,000 policemen and soldiers trained so far, the rate of desertion is as high as 40 per cent.

<snip>

For Col Ibrahim, a former Ba'athist officer, a few days in early November were enough to send his unit packing. Insurgents, on the run from the US assault of Fallujah, stormed police stations in Mosul and ransacked a recently built $90 million (£48 million) army base where Col Ibrahim's men were to be based.

Seven hundred of his men left their units, and Mosul's police force completely disbanded.

[illflem]

1. and more than likely

half the ones left side with the insurgents

[huellewig]

2. With shiny new weapons.

I can't blame them. If I received orders from a occupying force to shoot my neighbors I would get hell out ASAP. I might enlist for the paycheck during training though. And then get the hell out.

edit: I had read that as "and more than likely half the ones *that* left side with the insurgents." sorry.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. But this is a huge improvement!

Wasn't the desertion rate almost 100% in the earlier incarnation of the new Iraqi forces?

At this rate, by the time the civil war begins officially and they all leave to join the various opposing forces, taking their weapons with them, as happened in Lebanon, the desertion rate might be as low as 35%! Bush will be able to make another victory speech.

[indepat]

4. Why should this be surprising?

[porkrind]

5. Leftchick, you always have great posts!

:loveya:

Yesterday, Smirking Chimp had a great summary article on the Iraq mess. You would appreciate it:
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/article.php?sid=19731&mode=nested&order=0