Iraqi pilots are rechecking their coordinate calculations after they mistakenly dropped food, water and ammunition to Islamic State militants rather than besieged Iraqi forces fighting the militants. It is the latest blunder by a military that, despite billions and billions in U.S. training and equipment, continues to face regular desertions and defeats in the field.
An Iraqi general explained that the pilots were “young and new.”
The most recent blunder throws into question how our air support will make a difference when the Iraqi forces face rampant corruption and negligence in their leadership. However, the solution of recommitting troops would return our forces to a quagmire of sectarian violence.
In fairness, the United States in World War II had such incidents, though with today’s GPS and locational technology such failures are less common.
You cant train an idjit.
I recommend the youtube video of this panel on ISIS, Iraq, and Syria at Columbia University on Sept 12, linked here:
http://www.siwps.org/watch-video-of-siwps-panel-discussion-isis-in-iraq-syria-and-the-us/
Event description:
http://www.siwps.org/event/isis-in-iraq-syria-and-the-us/
Panelist Austin Long, who worked as an advisor in Iraq, addresses the issue of the Iraqi Army’s collapse. He says the vulnerabilities with the Iraqi military were known when we left Iraq.
Basically, at the point we left, the US military was still needed in Iraq for much the same reasons the US military is still in Europe and Asia decades after WW2. Simply, billions of dollars of aid and equipment cannot substitute for the essential leadership, competence, and capabilities of US soldiers in person.
raff, and I thought Biden looked in Putin’s eyes and said, “you have no soul”. Putin’s response, “we understand each other.”
Dredd, don’t you know it’s childish to bring up Bush for comparison?!
Let’s look at this incident from the positive side. First, we reduced corruption by eliminating the ability of Iraqis to sell the materials to ISIS. Second, we saved the lives of Iraqi soldiers who may have been killed in the course of abandoning the materials as they retreated in disarray.
Dredd ~
That Bill Maher vid made me laugh out loud.
Dumb bombs.
rafflaw
So Putin looked into Obama’s soul and saw weakness, but didn’t someone do that to Putin and see that he was a good egg?
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Stop it with the history already.
Someone may be jolted out of their trance.
Freudian slip?
Think you need to look into that airliner thing a little more Nick. There is a reason why it ain’t in the news anymore. Beware Putin, but beware the NED more.
raff, LOL. Yes, Bush was wrong about Putin. But, do you have ANY self awareness of your knee jerk “Yeah, but Bush!!” I’m guessing not. So, please, let me try and satisfy your needs here. BUSH COMPLETELY MISREAD PUTIN. Has Putin misread Obama?
So Putin looked into Obama’s soul and saw weakness, but didn’t someone do that to Putin and see that he was a good egg?
rafflaw – when Bush said that about Putin, I threw up in my mouth.
It’s not nearly as bad as shooting down a commercial airliner. Obama allowed that story to die w/ the complicity of the MSM. Putin looked in Obama’s eyes and saw weakness. Bullies like Putin can smell weakness.
We can hope the ammo doesn’t fit what they are using but since the UN decided to standardize ammo, now we just re-armed the bad guys. Well, this stuff happens in war. A napalm attack will clear much of this problem up.
There is oops and Oh, s*/*t. This is the latter. Someone will fall on their sword figuratively. This is not the Obama administration where they would blame it on someone else.
Of course they were young and new, the old experienced pilots have all run off or been captured and beheaded.
This process could be outsourced to UPS, Fedex or Amazon instead. With online tracking of your shipment.
Along these lines, it looks like we’re not afraid to needle China either. Looks like the NED is getting the party started in Hong Kong just like Ukraine, et al. Should be interesting in coming months. Looks like we are WAR, Inc.
Standard Spanish Civil War strategy. Can’t keep a conflict going if the other side goes home too quickly.
Who said it was a blunder? Iraqi soldiers are willing to shoot ours in the back why not just send the war materials we give them directly to the enemy in the planes we paid for. I am very cynical about the Iraqis and the Afghanis being serious about anything but taking our money.