[colorado tanker]

these elite fighters many of which admit they were members of the old Iraqi Army and Saddam's Elite Republican Guard managed to help break al-Qaeda's grip on the city

Maybe disbanding those units entirely wasn't such a good idea.

[noname247]

Tens of thousands of young men with military experience with no jobs and barely enough money to feed themselves let alone their families.

Yes, it was a massive mistake.

The vast majority would have been happy for a constant pay check.