U.S. weighs plan to aid Iraqi forces

[leftchick]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/04/news/deploy.html

General George Casey Jr., the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, is reviewing a proposal to add hundreds of American military advisers to work directly with Iraqi units, whose disappointing performance could jeopardize the long-term exit strategy from Iraq, according to senior military officials.
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Americans are training Iraqi police officers and National Guard troops to replace them in securing the country, but the results overall have been troubling, with growing desertion rates, gaps in leadership, and poor battlefield performance, U.S. military officers and troops have said.
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The advisers would bolster the Iraqi will to fight, help train officers who would lead the troops, curb desertion and provide Iraqi forces with the confidence that American units would back them up - in some cases fighting alongside them if needed, the military and Pentagon officials said on Monday.
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Several hundred U.S. troops are already embedded with Iraqi units, following a long tradition in American military actions. But the proposal would greatly expand this presence.
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[Cocoa]

1. the 50 unarmed Iraqi guardsmen who were murdered

were a big disappointment. They should have fought off the heavily armed insurgents with their bare hands. They really let down their American masters that day, these new "advisors" will shape them up.

[saigon68]

2. They are dead men walking

[leftchick]

3. It worked so well in VietNam...

wait, those advisors went before we trashed the country.

[Moderator]

4. duplicate topic, please discuss here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1119317