Gen Zebari Chief of staff of the Iraqi army says the Iraqi army will be ready to take over all duties now being done by the US.(uh...in 2020-2024—not now)
The regime has just sabotaged everything we did in Iraq for 9 years and the lives of over 4,000 kia troops. Unbelieveable.
IMoD and the CoS have been consistently saying this since the IMoD Security Development Plan was first mentioned in 2007.
Phase 1 [2006-2010]: Tactical Independence (read internal security).
Phase 2 [2011-2015]: Operational Independence (Ground forces external).
Phase 3 [2016-2020]: Strategic Independence
In late 2008 he said that Phase 2 and Phase 3 may be delayed due to budget issues. Now he is saying they are delayed.
It was the politicians that dreamed up 2012 without paying the slightest attention to the actual military development plans. The same politicians that diverted the downpayment on F16s to their welfare program thus delaying even a token air defense by a year...