Iraqi soldiers

Many make light of the capabilities of the Iraqi soldiers, but take a look at this article in USA Today (via The War in Context) for some further background to the realities on the ground.

But since the administrative handoff to the Defense Ministry, the camp has faced a barrage of problems, al-Malki says. A $350,000 monthly stipend from the United States to manage the base has dried up, leaving a dearth of funds for repairs, he says. Windows blasted by mortar rounds are covered in cardboard and yet to be replaced. When no money surfaced to fix an electrical wiring problem in a section of the camp, the soldiers pooled their own money to hire an electrician, al-Malki says.

Requests to fix the camp's sewage system have also been ignored, he says. Large pools of human sewage bubble in the street outside the barracks of the base security platoon, sending strong, rank smells through the building. Inside, soldiers sleep 12 to a room in beds leftover from the Saddam Hussein era. Concrete cinder blocks are propped under some beds to keep the middles from sagging.

"We have so many shortages - in equipment, in ammunition, in everything," says Pfc. Ala Sadiq, 20. "We're going in the right direction. But it's very, very slow."

U.S. officials who have toured the camp include Army Gen. George Casey, top commander for U.S. troops in Iraq, Sgt. Maj. Hassan Kadum says. So far, no one from the Defense Ministry has showed up, he says.

"They don't understand our operation at all," says Kadum, who walks over to the U.S. barracks each night to check his e-mail. "They are kings playing chess with us."