Jalal Talabani On Security Force Training

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani called the Iraq Study Group recommendation for securty force training ".an insult to the Iraqi people." He added, "What have they done so far in training the army and the police? What they have done is move from failure to failure."

One reason for the lack of Iraqi troops is that the government wishes to keep the United States military in Iraq. Indefinitely

Either way, some of Petraeus' aides, if not the general himself, have recently learned of rumors that Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari doesn't want his army to be well-trained. A leading Shiite, Jaafari reportedly fears that if the U.S. troops leave Iraq, the insurgents will crush all resistance and hoist the Sunnis back to power. Since the Americans have said they will leave once the Iraqi security forces are self-sufficient, Jaafari figures it's best to keep that day at bay. This could explain why many Iraqi units lack such basic materials as reliable weapons, ammunition, and sufficient food and bedding gear.

One of Petraeus' aides hit the roof when he heard this rumor of Jaafari's recalcitrance a few weeks ago. This may be why Rumsfeld seemed more perturbed than usual after his meeting with Jaafari in Baghdad this week. It may be why, for the first time, he brought up the subject of eventually pulling out.

Semour Hersh explained on the Daily Show (video link) that the Iraq government is "corruption city." The current Iraq government know that they stay in power as long as the have the muscle of the world's greatest military.

The Iraqi security force failure training is a two-way street. The problem is President Bush keeps bragging about what a success the program is.

Today Iraq has more than 160,000 security forces trained and equipped for a variety of missions. Iraqi forces have fought bravely, helping to capture terrorists and insurgents in Najaf and Samarra, Fallujah and Mosul. And in the past month, Iraqi forces have led a major anti-terrorist campaign in Baghdad called Operation Lightning, which has led to the capture of hundreds of suspected insurgents. Like free people everywhere, Iraqis want to be defended by their own countrymen, and we are helping Iraqis assume those duties.

There is ample evidence that insurgents have infiltrated the security forces.

It comes after the British Army said it was forced to take action to free two UK soldiers after learning Iraqi police had handed them to a militia group.

It gets worst. Iraqi police will let insurgents steal vechicles and weapons from a police building. The Iraqi police have also mastered the dark arts of extortion, rape and torture.

"[Recruits] bring up Rodney King," says Harry Ulferts, a retired cop who supervises 31 trainers for contractor Science Application International Corp. (SAIC). "They say American police beat people, too. We tell them those were criminal acts."

This is why Abu Ghraib matters. No wonder Bush considers this mess a success.