Iraqi soldiers still rely heavily on U.S.--they lack equipment -- and patience.

[rodeodance]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraqarmy28jan28,1,4680983.story?coll=la-headlines-world

Iraqi soldiers still rely heavily on U.S.

The troops have made strides, but they lack equipment -- and patience.
By Alexandra Zavis, Times Staff Writer
January 28, 2007

TURKI, IRAQ — As dawn broke, a thick mist enveloped the lines of military trucks poised to sweep through a tract of rich farmland where Sunni Arab insurgents had turned miles of irrigation canals into trenches with holes to stash weapons, food and blankets.

A chilly downpour turned narrow dirt roads into sheets of slippery mud that sent vehicles skidding into ditches.

For the U.S. Army, the weather was a temporary setback. Officers said it actually worked to their advantage because it left the enemy surrounded and exposed to the wet, wind and cold.

But for their Iraqi allies in an ambitious effort to reclaim an insurgent haven in eastern Diyala province, the weather could have spelled the end of the offensive. When U.S. Humvees, Bradley fighting vehicles and tanks pushed ahead two days later, they had to tow the Iraqis to the fight. Their flimsy pickup trucks and minivans had become hopelessly stuck.

As the campaign continued into a second week, U.S. forces flew in everything the Iraqis needed to keep going: ammunition, rice, T-shirts, dry socks and cigarettes...........

[mikehiggins]

1. The day will come when US troops and regular Iraqi units will have

each other in their gunsights. It is all but inevitable.

What a nightmare this is.