Major defeat for Iraqi military
To be fair to these clowns, the Iraqi government decimated their units by purging Sunnis from the military. Some units are at 50% strength.
US doctrine has units combat ineffective between 50-60%. Airborne units are much higher, since they are expected to take heavy casualties in combat jumps.
***The army base in Iraq’s western Anbar province had been under siege by Islamic State militants for a week, so when a convoy of armored Humvees rolled up at the gate, the Iraqi soldiers at Camp Saqlawiyah believed saviors had arrived.
But this was no rescue attempt. The vehicles were driven by militants on suicide missions, and within seconds on Sunday the base had become a bloody scene of multiple bombings.
On Monday, a day after the attack, five survivors — including three officers — said that between 300 and 500 soldiers were missing and believed to be dead, kidnapped or in hiding. Army officials said the numbers were far lower, leading to accusations that they were concealing the true toll.
“I gathered my soldiers and said: ‘We are going to die anyway. Let’s try to get out,’ ” Hussein said, adding that he and about 400 other soldiers escaped under heavy fire in a convoy. Others were left behind. [$#@!]
Those who got away divided into three groups, eventually leaving their vehicles after some were hit by roadside bombs. They continued on foot, traversing nearly two miles of territory held by the Islamic State until they reached Camp Tariq, about four miles away.
“I was in the first group; there were about 150 soldiers in each,” Hussein said. “Only about half of each group made it.”
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Originally Posted by Blackrook
