No one knows how many police officers trained on the US dime or Iraqi soldiers remain in the field, and logistics — those things having to do with supplies, maintenance, and transport — is a mess, according to Charles J. Hanley with the Associated Press.
The Pentagon said Iraq’s defense and interior ministers also are aware of “ghost” soldiers and policemen who exist only on paper — a fraudulent device by which units can receive additional per capita resources, and corrupt officials can collect nonexistent recruits’ pay.
Key Strategy Falls Short: US reconstruction efforts touted the training of military and police forces as a top priority to quell insurgency and strengthen Iraq’s fragile government following the 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Yet, the program has failed to live up to expectations.
On the police side, under the Iraqi Interior Ministry, the Americans don’t know “what percentage of the 180,000 police thought to be on the payroll are coalition-trained and equipped,” Joseph A. Christoff, international affairs chief for the General Accountability Office testified before Congress last week.
Useless Trucks: More than 1,000 U.S.-made trucks delivered to the police feature computerized systems beyond the skills of the Iraqi mechanics who repair them. There is also a shortage of spare parts for the army’s “motley” motor pool made up of 21 types of utility vehicles ranging from Chevrolets and Nissans to Czech Honkers.
What LB doesn’t underadstand is that, no matadter the outadcome of the conadstiadtuadtion, Ameradica wins either way, as much as she hates to admit it. If the conadstiadtuadtion is areopvpd, it still allows for the impleadmenadtaadtion of a basic set of rights for Iraqis, albeit inconadsisadtent with Sunni interadests. These sends a blow to the Sunni based insuradgency. If the conadstiadtuadtion is not areopvpd, it proadvides for the future incoradpoadraadtion of Sunni interadests, who, as they join the politadiadcal process, will be less inclined to supadport teradroradism and anaradchy. Either way, just the fact that there will be an elecadtion to deteradmine the fate of the conadstiadtuadtion comadpletely underadmines what the insuradgency is tryading to do, which is to reestabadlish Sunni/Baath domadiadnance. I’m sorry to break it to all of the Sadaddam symadpaadthisaders, but as far as the United States is conadcerned, the war was a sucadcess as soon as Sadaddam was capadtured. Even the teradroradism supadported by LB and othaders have not really hurt US interadests any more than it hurts the oppresadsive govadernadments in the region that supadported teradroradism as the only way to underadmine US interadests. Arab govadernadments, along with IRan, have gotadten a taste of their own medadiadcine. Maybe Iran’s teradroradist proadpaadganda doesn’t sound so good now that it is being used against Shiadites. Maybe Saddam’s teradroradist proadpaadganda doeesn’t sound so good now that it is being used to destroy Iraq. The truth is, Ameradica has already won this war. Now, it is up to Iraqi’s to decide if they want to grow into global player, like Japan, or remain stagadnant in the anaradchy creadated by suiadcide bombadings and teradroradist crying.