"Tell the American people we need the U.S. Army here:"
An Interview with the Jundi
Posted by Bill Ardolino (Hat tip: Michelle)
As outlined in my analysis of the Military Transition Team (MiTT) mission, the story of the Iraqi Army in Fallujah is a mixed bag. The "Jundi" (Iraqi Army soldiers) are aggressive and some units are quite competent, but training is ongoing, the quality of their leadership varies, and logistical and pay issues significantly hamper operations. Observing some IAs on a mission and meeting with others at Forward Operating Base Castle in northeast Fallujah reinforced almost all of these assessments initially voiced by various Marine and Army MiTT members.
The Jundi seem to enjoy soldiering and have a positive outlook, but don't feel that they have sufficient numbers to secure Fallujah. Most of their answers appeared forthright and relaxed until we spoke about missing pay, at which point they handled questions like skilled politicians. I also had to ask them about the identity of the insurgents several times. Even now, I'm uncertain whether their insufficient answers were the product of having a bad interpreter, hesitance to respond or the fact that they truly just don't know their enemy.
A common complaint from Iraqis centers around equipment -- they want more, better, newer. In some cases this gripe has been reasonable, but often it's not. Iraqis seem to almost universally have a fascination with technology, overestimating its role vs. training in the much-admired effectiveness of the U.S. military. ...
