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Iraqi Unit Flees Post, Despite American’s Plea

Apr-16-2008 » Filed Under: 2/25 SBCT

An embedded report with the 1-14 INF, 2/25 SBCT in Sadr City. Thanks to Dan for the link.

By MICHAEL R. GORDON, The New York Times

BAGHDAD — A company of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their positions on Tuesday night in Sadr City, defying American soldiers who implored them to hold the line against Shiite militias.

The retreat left a crucial stretch of road on the front lines undefended for hours and led to a tense series of exchanges between American soldiers and about 50 Iraqi troops who were fleeing.

Capt. Logan Veath, a company commander in the 25th Infantry Division, pleaded with the Iraqi major who was leading his troops away from the Sadr City fight, urging him to return to the front.

“If you turn around and go back up the street those soldiers will follow you,” Captain Veath said. “If you tuck tail and cowardly run away they will follow up that way, too.”

Captain Veath’s pleas failed, and senior American and Iraqi commanders mounted an urgent effort to regain the lost ground. An elite Iraqi unit was rushed in and with the support of the Americans began to fight its way north.

This episode was a blow to the American effort to push the Iraqis into the lead in the struggle to wrest control of parts of Sadr City from the Mahdi Army militia and what Americans and Iraqis say are Iranian-backed groups.

That approach was intended to build up the Iraqi military’s fighting capacity and put an Iraqi face on the operation in Sadr City, which is occurring in a Baghdad bastion of support for Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American cleric. Two weeks ago, more than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers deserted their posts during the fight against militias in Basra.

Tuesday’s desertions in Sadr City, although involving a particularly hesitant Iraqi unit, left many of the Americans soldiers wondering about the tenacity of their Iraqi allies.

[...]


Comments For "Iraqi Unit Flees Post, Despite American’s Plea":

It really seems to me that we need to take Muktada al Sadr out of the picture permanently. It's time...

Posted by: GOE-HI | April 17, 2008 1:52 AM

GOE-HI, keep in mind that the success of the surge in was in part due to Sadr calling the Mahdi Army off the battlefield. Decapitating Sadr will only serve to martyr him, inflame his followers, and make political rapprochement between them and the Iraqi government much more difficult (besides, he's holed up in Iran).

Sadrists comprise something like a 11% of the Iraqi elected parliament, so political rapprochement between the Sadrists and the other blocs in the Iraqi government is a necessary step for us to get our troops out of the battle on on the way home.

Posted by: currahee [TypeKey Profile Page] | April 17, 2008 2:08 AM

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