Bush was pissed, I'm sure.
nytimes.com
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Training Skills of U.S. General Sought After Poor Performance by Some Iraqi Forces
By ERIC SCHMITT and THOM SHANKER
Published: April 15, 2004
ASHINGTON, April 14 — The Pentagon is rushing one of the Army's most highly regarded generals, Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus, back to Iraq this weekend to help step up the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces, many of whom abandoned their posts or refused to fight in the recent violence there, military officials said Wednesday.
General Petraeus, who spent most of the past year in Iraq commanding the 101st Airborne Division, is to leave Fort Campbell, Ky., with a 14-member team and initially spend about three weeks helping American trainers in Iraq. After he steps down as commander of the 101st next month, he will lead the training of all Iraqi security and military forces, Pentagon officials said.
Based on his division's success in training 18,000 Iraqis for security forces in northern Iraq in the past year, he is expected to recommend changes in screening, organizing and equipping Iraqi forces, Defense Department officials said. |
