More Iraqi Security Forces Needed?

(CBS)  President Bush's National Security Adviser showed up unannounced in Baghdad Monday to meet with Iraq's Prime Minister al-Maliki — who, according to U.S. intelligence, is telling his inner circle the situation is "nearly out of control," CBS News correspondent David Martin reports.

CBS News has learned exclusively that Gen. George Casey, the U.S. Commander in Iraq, is expected to recommend the size of Iraqi security forces be increased by up to 100,000. This comes just as the U.S. military is about to reach its long-stated goal of training and equipping 325,000 Iraqis to take over the fighting from American troops.

Officials say the explosion of sectarian violence, which Gen. Casey calls a fundamental change in the nature of the threat, now makes that number look inadequate. On top of that is the fact that any given day, one quarter of the Iraqi Army is on leave.

Increasing the size of the Iraqi security forces would also mean more American soldiers would be needed to train and advise them. The United States is also considering doubling from 12 to 25 the number of American advisers embedded in each Iraqi unit.

Gen. Casey is also expected to recommend equipping Iraqi security forces with more heavily armored vehicles — police now ride in pick-up trucks — and heavier weapons.

But an audit by a Pentagon Inspector General found that of 370,000 small arms provided to the Iraqis, so far, 14,000 could not be accounted for — and most of the weapons came without spare parts or repair manuals.

Perhaps most alarming is that Iraq may not be able to pay for its army.

"It's going to take $3.5 billion to sustain the Iraqi Army next year, and we're unable to uncover information in the course of the audit to indicate that Iraq was ready to sustain that burden," says Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., the Inspector General.

Increasing the number of Iraqi forces will take time, but if the situation is as bad as al-Maliki says it is, time may be in short supply.

[tank611]

QUOTE:

'how and why we invaded and destroyed another country'

The people destroying Iraq are the Muslim insurgents/terrorists with their car bombs,IEDs and suicide bombings. The United States is not destroying Iraq.

Why we invaded? The Middle East,as a region,has been waging a terror war against the United States since 1979. Which gives the United States the right to wage war on the Middle East.

Why we invaded? To prevent another 9/11 type attack. Every scumbag terrorist who ever thought about attacking the United States has gone to Iraq instead. There have been no attacks on US soil since 9/11. Which means our plan is working.

[arthurcl1]

Bush at it again slinging mud on Kerry for a bad joke. Kerry has Purple Hearts, how many does Bush, Cheyne or Rumsfield have? 0 How did Bush serve in the mililtary? He didn't do much because he was from a rich family and they helped get him out of going to Vietnam. But look at what Bush has done for us, like spending billions on a failed policy in Irag. Going over the UN to go it alone! Recently millions of dollars of our taxpayer money for weapons for their armed forces was ripped off from under our noses? They will no doubt be used against our troops! No reconstruction going on for the people, civil war, and the Cleric is back to controlling Sadar City? They told us to get out! Our National Debt is at 4 TRILLION! Left for our grandchildren to try to pay? What a mess Bush has us in. It's another Vietnam. We will never be able to get out of there thanks to these guys!
That was what Kerry was trying to say!

[peterbaldwin-2009]

From the AP: "U.S. forces disappeared from the checkpoints within hours of the order, setting off celebrations among civilians and armed men on the edge of the sprawling slum controlled by the Mahdi Army militia run by radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr."

A few weeks ago Bush was demanding that Maliki crush the Mahdi Army. Today Bush ordered US troops to leave Sadr City while members of the Mahdi Army cheered.

Did Bush change sides?

[talkingham]

This is so three years ago. Troops on the ground saw this insurgency coming in May of 2003 but the Cheney Bush team ignored the truth (like it ever mattered to them) and floated out that rosey mission accomplished theme that Karl Rove developed. It's now cost thousands and thousands of lives. Yes, Bush Cheney will say if was faulty intelligence- or is just plain lies and deception from day one. It will never be investigated- I doubt this country even wants the "truth." They certainly don't want to know the truth about 911 and the whitewash investigation of what really happened that day. The Towers should have been treated like the crime scene rather than hauling everything out as fast as possible so no real investigation could be done. Yet, we still have only a hole in the ground 5 years later. Iraq should be treated like a crime scene too, the crime of how and why we invaded and destroyed another country.

[observantx]

There are no good options here. Rummy, Fearless Leader, Darth Cheney and His Roveness have painted themselves and you and me into a tight sweaty corner.

If we stay in Iraq with our present %u201Cstrategy (or is it %u201Ctactics%u201D this week), we will simply get more of our sons and daughters killed or maimed along with many more average trying to make a living Iraqis.

At this point, if we hand over control to the Iraqi %u201CArmy%u201D, we will be handing control over to the insurgents, death squads and militias that have thoroughly saturated and corrupted the Iraqi Army, police, and Interior Ministry. In this case the sectarian bloodbath will soak the sands of that country ankle deep.

The only way I can see to even begin to pry ourselves out of this corner is to clean this administration out of the White House and Congress. As someone once said %u201CFirst steps, first%u201D

We all need to make those first steps to the polling booth and make room for ourselves in this corner. Only then can we silence all the lies and spin that din in our ears and find the right people who can formulate workable and effective plans to heal the festering wound this war has become.

We need a huge turnout of genuine patriotic Americans to get our nation moving in the correct direction. The path we are on now is leading to destruction. Please vote to clean house!

[bluestardad]

soon these idiots will be gone and we can bring our kids home.

[cathaleen]

The Iraqis should have a draft and get all those young guys running around shooting our soldiers and civilians and put them in the army. Give them something to do - in exchange for all these guys being inducted into their army - our guys can go home. That's a fair trade.

ronin10 wrote:

"Stay the course...If you are going to have a war, it should be to win."

That's all fine and dandy, but this war was never going to be won - just how many lives need to be lost before a point is proven?

Regardless, I can't help but wonder that if the Generals in Iraq were able to make their own decisions, instead of the idiots in Washington (Republican or Democrat) making decisions for them, how this war would have turned out.

I say that it's time for the idiots in Washington to stop playing their childish war games and let those in Iraq start calling the shots.

Rumsfeld may think he's a general, but he isn't.

And as for the Commander in Chief, he isn't mentally fit enough to command a boy scout troop.

Perhaps if he had turned up for his own military service, instead of drinking and snorting various substances, just maybe Iraq wouldn't be the mess it is today.

Politicans do not win wars - they lose them.

Generals and troops win wars.

[pudd54]

The president's stratagy of speaking of Iraq, the war on terror, and Sept 11th constantly together must be working great. When asked directly he will tell you he never said Iraq had anything to do with Sept 11th. In a recent poll over 50% of Americans believe Iraq was involved, not fundimentalist from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. That is 10 times the number of people that know Saddam's Deputy Prime Minister (#2 man) was Catholic.

So you see, Iraq supporting religious fundimental groups aimed at attacking christians would be like the president being against gay marriage when the VP's daughter is gay. No wait, a better simile would be like the pres supporting gay bashing when the VP was gay.

[bluestardad]

Heck of a Job Rummy, Stay the Course