Iraq’s Maliki says he has asked for weapons from U.S., will also seek training for troops

Washington Post ^ | January 16, 2014 | By Loveday Morris

[Brad from Tennessee]

BAGHDAD — Iraq has provided Washington with a list of weapons it needs to wrest back control from anti-government and al-Qaeda-linked militants in restive Anbar province, , Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Thursday, and soon plans to request counterterrorism training from U.S. forces.

The United States is working on providing the medium and light weapons, including another shipment of Hellfire missiles, Maliki said in an interview here in the Iraqi capital. He said he submitted the wish list after a phone call with Vice President Biden on Tuesday.

Maliki said he is seeking further U.S. military training for Iraqi forces in either Iraq or neighboring Jordan, particularly on how to prevent and fight against terror attacks. Secretary of State John F. Kerry said early this month that the Obama administration was deeply concerned with the developments in Anbar. He said United States was ready to help but would not send troops.

Iraq’s military is working with pro-government tribesmen in Anbar province to attempt to secure the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, which have been seized by the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The extremists have been joined by some Sunni tribesmen from the province who oppose the rule of Maliki’s Shiite-led government. . .

[Brad from Tennessee]

From EIA: Iraq was the world's eighth largest producer of total petroleum liquids in 2012, and it has the world's fifth largest proven petroleum reserves after Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Canada, and Iran. Just a fraction of Iraq's known fields are in development, and Iraq may be one of the few places left where much of its known hydrocarbon resources has not been fully exploited. Iraq's energy sector is heavily based on oil. Over 90 percent of its energy needs are met with petroleum (2010 estimate), with the rest supplied by natural gas and hydropower.

[Wolfie]

Break out the national credit card.

[sappy]

I ask because I honestly don’t know. exactly how long does it take to train troops? more than 10+yrs? none of the folks our Forces are training are able to replicate the program?

[Right_in_Virginia]

Iraq’s Maliki says he has asked for weapons from U.S., will also seek training for troops

RIV asks Maliki: what's in it for us?

[Red Badger]

One nuke ought to take care of the ‘problem’. And he doesn’t even have to launch it. We can do that for him..............much cheaper , too...............

[andyk]

Go F yourself, Iraq. We don’t owe you diddly. Use the money from the oil you sell to China.

[Hugin]

If they are already trained soldiers, and our guys are training them to use specific weapons, it wouldn’t take that long.

[Paladin2]

Nouri al-Maliki needs to exorcise Islam from Anbar Province.

[Tenacious 1]

I’ve come to the conclusion that an old tried and true battle tactic would be the best and final option for cities/towns taken over and run by Terrorists. Carpet bombing.

The problem in Iraq and Afghanistan is and always will be with the citizens that live there. It took me a while to come to this conclusion. I used to think that a people will fight to the death for their own freedom if only they were to believe their sacrifice would advance the cause. Well, they have been given that glimpse, that opportunity and still they cower, beg and grovel. If the citizens don’t care to rid themselves of evil enough, then solve the problem in mass. The psychological effect alone will influence citizens to resist the radicals terrorists.

If there is an established understanding that the world is no longer concerned with the detestable collateral damage that comes with exterminating terrorists, citizens will resist the chance of becoming targets. They may actually fight to keep terrorist from causing the total annihilation of their city. It will be ugly. It would be brutal. And we can talk about how horrible it is. But it would move the ball.

[dfwgator]

Sorry pal, we gave your country a chance, you blew it.

[dfwgator]

Let ‘em all kill each other and let Allah sort it out.

[Ironfocus]

But I thought Obama “ended the war in Iraq”. Isn’t that what all his cheerleaders in the MSM have been telling us? Why would they need weapons and training if the war is over? Iraqi Independence Day fireworks?

[colorado tanker]

And how about Al Qaeda is on the run? Yeah, running right back into Fallujah.

[wildbill]

We went from winning the war in Viet Nam to losing the peace.

The anti-war Democrats refused to give S. Vietnam ammunition and replacement parts for the U.S. equipment we gave them.

It wasn’t a surprise to see N.V.A overrun a demoralized foe.

All any putative allies of the US have to do is watch our history and decide whether we will have their back. I don’t think so.

[Two Kids' Dad]

Any weapons and training sent to Iraq need to be compensated with vast amounts of oil, perhaps something along the lines of 100:1 for the market value of the oil versus weapons and the equivalent of $200K a year per U.S. trainer. No charity to muzzies! Ever!

[Brad from Tennessee]

If you look at the history of South Korea from 1953 to present, the country went through almost 40 years of riots, military coups, assassinations, and revolutions before finally achieving relative political stability around 1990. Today South Korea is the 15th largest economy in the world by GDP and 12th in purchasing power.

Adjusted for inflation, defending South Korea cost in U.S. dollars as much as Iraq and Afghanistan and about six times as many U.S. deaths.

[wildbill]

I considered the Korea situation. All you say is true, but it is something of a special case. In the 50s there were far fewer anti-war Dems. And all the unrest in S. Korea never manifested itself in attacks on U.S. troops nor have there been any in later years as S. Korea became prosperous.

Everyone knows that the U.S. ‘tripwire’ of troops is the only thing that has kept the madmen of the North out of their country.