Why Iraq’s army crumbled
On the face of it, the stunning success of the ISIS offensive in the past ten days defies understanding. How could a band of fewer than 1,000 “terrorists” smash their way into Mosul, put around 30,000 Iraqi security forces to flight in less than 48 hours and take full control of a city with around […]On the face of it, the stunning success of the ISIS offensive in the past ten days defies understanding. How could a band of fewer than 1,000 “terrorists” smash their way into Mosul, put around 30,000 Iraqi security forces to flight in less than 48 hours and take full control of a city with around 2m inhabitants? How could a force that initially numbered not much more than 10,000 storm across north and western Iraq, taking several more towns, including Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s home, and Tal Afar near the border with Syria, while controlling Falluja and most of Ramadi, both in easy striking distance of Baghdad?
