We Just Want Weapons That Will Help Us Get the Terrorists

Iraq's PM fights for more weapons for outgunned army - 1 Feb 2007 at 10:23am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is pressing Washington to give his military more weapons, with ordinary soldiers complaining they are often outgunned by heavily armed militants.

The man has a point. From the article:

While Maliki has not spelt out exactly what is on his shopping list, the U.S. military says the weapons in Iraq's armory are "suitable for the current threat it faces".

But the Iraq Study Group suggested otherwise in its December report to President George W. Bush proposing a change of American strategy in Iraq.

"Units lack equipment," the high-level bipartisan panel said. "They cannot carry out their missions without adequate equipment. Congress has been generous in funding requests for U.S. troops but it has resisted fully funding Iraqi forces.

....The Iraqi government says it is not looking for tanks and helicopters, but more "medium weapons" such as heavy machineguns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and armored vehicles.

"We don't want tanks. We don't want weapons to launch a war. We just want weapons that will help us get the terrorists," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters.

It appears that Iraq's military isn't as well equipped as are American forces now in that country. As has been argued here before, if America's military can't do the job without gunships, tanks, bombers, etc., how can Iraq's military be expected to?

This is another example of the Bush administration's actions belying its claim to be "for success" in Iraq. Do they want stability in Iraq? If so, then where is the hardware? Where is the training?

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