Attrition of Iraq forces at Basra

The NY Times makes much of the desertion of Iraqi forces in the recent Basra battle. Buried in the story is a paragraph which adds perspective.

...

A British military official said that Mr. Maliki had brought 6,600 reinforcements to Basra to join the 30,000 security personnel already stationed there, and a senior American military official said that he understood that 1,000 to 1,500 Iraqi forces had deserted or underperformed. That would represent a little over 4 percent of the total.

...
However disappointing those desertions are, they did not have a significant effect on the army's ability to perform and follow orders. Yes, some commanders were among those who failed to perform or refused to perform. Obviously they were replaced as they should have been. Again, replacing commanders in a battle is not unheard of. American forces were quick to do just that in the World War II battles in Europe and Asia.

What Iraq has learned from this episode is who they can count on and who they cannot. Those who failed to perform will obviously be weeded out. Better now than in a more crucial battle.

A counterinsurgency host nation goes through this type of event, It should not be read as a failure of the counterinsurgency operation, but a personal failure of a few.

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