Iraqis taking the lead? Yes and no

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1st Lt. Corey Mathews, left, patrols with his Iraqi army counterparts in the city of Muhallabiyah, west of Mosul.


Iraqis taking the lead? Yes and no
By Heath Druzin, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, February 22, 2009

SHEIKH IBRAHIM, Iraq — First Lt. Corey Mathews got a surprise answer from an Iraqi army officer when he offered to organize a joint night patrol in this former insurgent stronghold west of Mosul.

"Whenever we need you guys, we will let you know," Maj. Muhammed Abdullah said, politely waving aside Mathews’ question.

It was a disappointing response for the American platoon leader, who is with the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. But it was an illustration of how things are supposed to work now that a security pact between the U.S. and Iraq puts the Iraqis firmly in the lead.

Across the country, U.S. military commanders repeat the phrase, "We’re trying to work ourselves out of a job."

On the ground, however, there is still much tokenism, driven by mistrust of Iraqi Security Forces, subpar Iraqi training and lack of communication.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60895