Can iraqis fight???

Nat

It depends.

I've met some fantastically fit Iraqis (Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, et al). It seems on average, they can run barefoot about twice as fast as most Americans. Some of them are seriously cut as well (they don't eat that much junkfood compared to Americans).

I wouldn't put stock in the "90%" figure you put down, but if you were a local national with an AK, PKM, RPG, and you wanted to engage an American infantry platoon with air and artillery assets on call in a stand-up fight? I'd say you had a pretty good death wish. Iraqis are not stupid (well, most of the REALLY stupid ones are already dead) and have a keen sense of survival when it comes down to it. If IEDs and VBIEDs work, they'll use those methods. I don't fault them.

As for basic combat skills, it's a mixed bag. Most Iraqis can't shoot worth a damn, some can. Small-unit tactics are also a mixed bag. Qualitatively, any Western military surpasses what the Middle East or Central Asia puts out in terms of units.

In terms of individual resilience, the Iraqis are able to operate on very little food, and in conditions of hardship that would give us pause. Their tolerance for brutality is much higher than ours. If they actually had truly decent leadership, equipment, and training ... they'd be formidable across the board.

It's a good thing they haven't had any of the above for years, save for the Peshmerga.

Tracker

Well I expect this question was asked about the Vietnamese. And the greatest military machine in the world didn't do too well against peasants. Did it ?

It doesn't matter how they fight, as long as they win they don't care about the rules of war.

origamimark

They are masters of urban guerilla warfare, and have been perfecting their skills over many decades. Also their beliefs lend themselves to unconventional (by our standards) warfare techniques.

In war, there are no rules. Assuming that there are rules - that is our biggest mistake.

Gunner Reah

Some of them were'nt to bad, some were rubbish.
The best thing in the world is that they are terrible shots and go for the old spray and pray. We go for quality not quantity. In a firefight however, quantity has a quality all of it's own.
You cant blame suicide bombers. If we were invaded (UK) I think we would be far more viscious than what you see in Iraq.
Read a bit about WWII and see how many suicide missions were conducted. You should read about the secret army that was waiting for Adolf should he have made it accross the Channel .

hammerinprongs

it doesnt matter if they shoot skip or hop with an AK47 or whatever they have at hand even a slingshot. but what matters is dedication and a commitment to die for a cause. and the iraqis have it big time. in afghanistan i shot an insurgent twice with my SAW, he was still standing before he got his head blew off by his compatriot. they dont let prisoners be taken. in iraq as a spec ops SC we were hit from all sides. i was professionally trained and experienced in live combat but they scared the crap out of me. my trigger finger was blistered from the amount of single shots i fired at rioters. everytime i put one down there was another ready to take his place. so yes iraqis can fight

Botsakis G

If the Iraqis cannot fight, why is it that the U.S. is not clearly winning the Iraq War?. The war is already on its 4th year now, and yet no one can tell when it would end?. If the Iraqis cannot fight, then what are killing the American troops daily?. Friendly fire maybe?.

CLIVE H

It's just this sort of talk which gives succour to our enemies.

Paddy

Ha! @ last someone who makes sense in this crazy, crazy world!

George C

They didn't stand a chance against American fighting men, but did a pretty good job against Iran for several years. They are tough, but hey, when America won its Independence, it took 11 years of peaceful negotiations between the 13 colonies to come up with our Constitution.

I guess some people think they should have one over night. But it don't happen like that.

Geo Washington

islamo-fascists cannot fight the greatest military in history, so they have to resort to guerrila tactics.

chuck_junior

Not so far, and I say this with all due sadness that we are still losing American Troops long after the Iraqis should have taken over and cleaned their own house.

Moche

i guess if a foreign army invaded your country, you would fight with whatever you got ...

mark

no, our military is far superior in every way, thus they cannot win a firefight, so they resort to hit and run tactics, suicide bombings, rocket/mortar attacks, and sniper fire (also hit and run)

Edgein

Well i certainly think Iraq's can fight and they seem to be holding there own against a superior force. They do use car bombing and suicide bombing and you cannot have an effective answer but they have also used other methods to inflict huge casualties on the military.
It has been 3 years or more since the occupation and it shows no sign of improvement and there is no answer to it I just feel so sad for the people over there caught up in the war and also the hundreds of troops that have lost their lives or been maimed.
The problem with the regime that they are fighting is they are fanatical and will die for the cause.
On a final not for anyone on this site to call any soldier that is serving out there a coward is beyond me and it is a little insensitive to say the least.

Greg N

Suicide bombing is a form of fighting.

It's effective when they are so outnumbered too.

Politically Wrong

They fight well among themselves....not very well against an organized and powerful Military

jojojojo1

If we didnt have such weak political leaders and sensitive Americans, we could have ended this war LONG ago! Several of the HUNDREDS of nukes we have would have ended this. What about Innocent bystanders? Yeah who is innocent? Some of them are weekend fighters and when their done they put their regular clothes on and go have lunch. If we were to just Hiroshima them, it would have ended. Tell them anyone who aint a fighter needs to get out now.

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