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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Thursday, August 24, 2006

The myth of a handover to Iraqi forces

Remember that base that the British successfully handed over to a now fully capable Iraqi army unit? Remember, the "success" of the British handover of the province of Muthanna?
The first British camp to be handed to the Iraqis was looted almost bare within days of the army's departure.

The transfer last month was widely heralded as a signal that Iraq would soon be ready to run itself.

A British soldier said that, as the last men drove away, they saw pick-up trucks being filled with equipment worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Most items that could be removed were taken, including air-conditioning units, water-filtration systems, chairs, bedding, and kitchen utensils. When the commander of British forces in southeast Iraq, Brigadier James Everard, discussed the matter with the province's governor, he was told that the camp had "largely gone."

Military sources believe off-duty Iraqi soldiers and government officials did much of the looting.....

2 Comments:

  • I wonder if anyone realises that even if the Iraqi army becomes fully functioning in a few months, the absence of any real institutions will create a imbalance between the Army and civil society almost guaranteeing an army takeover or a coup at some future stage.

    By Blogger Zak, at 2:52 PM  

  • That's a good point with a weak/hobbled Maliki "unity" government. Also, take the possibility of regional fractionalization, even within the Shia block.

    If you look at this article, it appears it was the governor who orchestrated the first round of looting to his own comfort and probably economic benefit.

    He's running his own little fiefdom.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 4:18 PM  

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