Iraq, the forgotten war

[misty969]

Monday’s attacks appear to be a clear answer to that question. Despite the billions of dollars the U.S. has spent on training the Iraqi security forces over the past eight years, they are still not ready to take over security duties. But the blame shouldn't fall on the security forces alone. Iraqi politicians haven't helped much, either. Since the beginning of the year, the Iraqi government hasn't appointed a minister of interior, defense, or national security as various political blocs have bitterly fought over the posts. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been responsible for all three ministries. Maliki held a security meeting the day before the attacks and told attendants that security is improving in the country and there's no need to fill the ministry postings, according to Mahmoud Othman, an Iraqi parliamentarian. “The capability of the Iraqi security forces is under question,” says Othman. “But the responsibility for security lies with the government. With the conflict between all the political parties, those terrorists find the ground to commit their crimes.”

http://news.yahoo.com/forgotten-war-112500887.html