Why should we risk our sons and daughters defending Baghdad when Iraq refuses to commit their own troops?

Question

Maj. Gen. James Thurman states that Baghdad is currently the priority battlefront in Iraq where the U.S. has invested 15,000 troops there.
That moths ago he has asked the Iraqi govenment to match US troop levels in Baghdad with just a fraction of the 128,000 Iraqi Army troops that the U.S. has trained and equipped and so far these Iraqi leaders have refused to increase the 9,000 Iraqi soldiers due to the risk there.

Currently there are a total of 302,000 Iraqi security forces, which include the army, national and local police.

Answer 1

I love my country even more now than ever,but this war has been a mistake as far as im concerned,you should of put all our energy in finding bin laden when those towers came crashing down,i hate to see our people over there fighting and dying with virtually no end in sight,i feel for all those families suffering from this war i like president bush,but i think he made a bad decision,i know that he was angry and just as pissed off as the rest of us,but bin laden was the way to go and we f##KD it up.i support our troops whole heartly and im sick and tired of people saying were not supportive if we dissagree with this war.i say its time to bring our boys home

Answer 2

Iraqi troops are fighting and dying every day all over Iraq. That there aren't more actually patrolling Baghdad is due, in part, to the level of training of those troops. Desert warfare and village warfare is very different from urban warfare. Also, as US military HQ is in Baghdad, I think it's proper for US troops to be providing that security. What would the headline screams if an Iraqi battalion tasked with protecting the entrance to the green zone allowed a truck bomb in that killed hundreds of US personnel?

The fact of the matter is that Iraqi troops are taking on more and more responsibility every day...and doing a generally admirable job. In the last few days, an Iraqi contingent took over for Italian troops that were leaving a zone in southern Iraq.

Don't take what CNN tells you as gospel truth. The media has an agenda, and winning the war isn't on it.

Answer 3

First of all, nobody is sending their sons or daughters to fight this war. There is NO draft in action. We have an all volunteer military. You know what your job and responsibility is when you sign on the line. Many of our young troops have joined since this war began. They joined because that's what they wanted to do. So, don't tell me we're sending our sons or daughters. It's their choice.

It's a sign that the Iraqi troops don't fully have the training needed to patrol Baghdad. It's better they know this than go in and lose whatever ground we've made. It'd be more of a shame if we left them totally in control of that region and they lost it. Then our military lives would have been lost for nothing and we'd just have to go back in again. Iraq is a huge country. It takes alot to keep all the ground covered. Our troops are the finest trained military in the world. If anyone can do it, they can. They'll also use that training to help the Iraqi military prepare to take over when it's time.

Answer 4

So where are they stationing these other 99,000 troops? I thought the Iraqi government has taken over complete control of the troops in their nation and we are only assisting. I guess our generals can just back out our troops and the Iraqi's will have to back fill. Maybe they can give these other 99,000 each a shovel to dig the trench around Baghdad.

Answer 5

The violence in Baghdad is mostly sectarian in nature. Because of that, both sides and the government, feel safer with US troops present than with Iraqi troops. The US has no dog in the sectarian fight, so they are pretty even-handed. They are against both Sunni insurgents and Shiite death squads.

But I don't understand your concept they are not fighting for their own country. They have been blown up waiting in lines to enlist, and they are fighting for their country in other areas of Iraq - there is plenty of fighting to spare.

I guess I don't see this as being such a big issue.

Answer 6

There may be completely rational and acceptable reasons.
1. They simply may not yet be diciplined enough to provide the security required.
2. They may not have enough experience in a hot zone (too green)
3. They may be worried about the loyalty of their forces (oh that would be a problem).

If the reason is that they are unwilling to put up the anticipated casulties, you are right, we should rethink our commitment. But, we also need to think in terms of our responsibility. We want to lead wolves on a hunt, we do not want to lead lambs to slaughter. If the Iraqi military are still lambs, and would bet slaughtered in Bagdad, that will hurt us more long term than us providing the bulk of the bagdad security operations right now.

In any case, I think we need to need to be building more wolves and good hunters at that.

Answer 7

Who invited them there in first place?
Iraq has gone back more then 20 years behind history.
More Iraqis have died due to US invasion then any of the previous wars, not to mention destruction of infrastructure and welfare of iraqi people. Why people do not talk about loss of thousands of innocent iraqi lives as a result of US invasion. Ethnic cleansing is supported by the US soldiers in order they can stay longer.
Sadam Hussein was Iraqi problem and would have been resollved by Iraqi people.
Keep on watching CNN

Answer 8

If you would have read the entire article they also said that many for the Iraqi troops didn't want to go because of Geogrphical issues.... and they are working with them and they will have them out there in a couple of weeks... I'm proud that my husband is able to help

Answer 9

maybe because the iraqi army feels they are not ready to take control yet. they probably do not have a lot of soldiers in their army to take control either...

*support our troops

Answer 10

WHERE DO I START? REMEMBER GEN.POWEL?YOU BREAK IT YOU OWN IT.DON'T FORGET THAT WHAT IS GOING ON IS SECTARIAN IN NATURE.SHITE TROOPS REFUSE TO FIGHT IF THEY HAVE TO FIGHT SHITES.SUNNI'S REFUSE IF THEY HAVE TO FIGHT SUNNIS ARE DON'T CARE WHAT POLITICAL LEAN IS THE FACT IS IRAQ IS NOT A COUNTRY.THE SOONER WE LEARN THIS THE BETTER.SPLIT THE COUNTRY INTO THREE PARTS WITH A LOOSE CENTRAL GOV.THEN LEAVE.