Here. 540,000 of 'em, 4 years of training and they still can't do the job. Give up.

Anyone know how much "training" the average insurgent gets? Or how many there are? Over, lessee, 540,000 Iraqis, 160,000 Americans, say, 60,000 mercenaries, that's 760,000 goodguys incountry, not counting the naval and air forces stationed outside the country. With tanks, artillery, air and naval power, APVs, body armor, sophisticated communication and night vision.

There must be a couple of million insurgents, then, because they have no tanks, artillery, etc. And they must be trained beyond belief.

"From the beginning, the US government has characterised the operations against Shia militias in Basra and Baghdad as an Iraqi-led and executed campaign.

"It is now clear that although the initial military planning was Iraqi, US and British forces are deeply involved."

"The growing involvement of the US-led coalition in the fighting may be a tacit acceptance that the Iraqi security forces are not yet up to the job.

"In his recent testimony to the US Congress, the top US military commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus, said there were now 540,000 Iraqi policemen and soldiers serving but he raised doubts about their capabilities.

"While improved, Iraqi security forces are not yet ready to defend Iraq or maintain security throughout the country on their own", he said."

Arf