Soldiers of Babylon

Although the new Iraqi army seems extremely professional, it is a dysfunctional group focused mostly on internal security.

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Sept. 26, 2010

Iraqi politicians and military officials say the armed forces remain dysfunctional. In the photo, Iraq army soldiers and commandos show off their anti-terrorism skills and skills against criminal activities at a camp in Kirkuk, three weeks after the official end to U.S. combat operations in Iraq.

Marwan Ibrahim / AFP/Getty Images

April 30, 2011

The local commanders have a direct line to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, circumventing heads of military. If it had to organize to fight a foreign foe, it is unclear who would command operations. In the photo, Iraqi generals in the southern province of Basra watch their troops stage a war game last month at the urging of U.S. forces.

Aaron C. Davis / The Washington Post

Aprik 30, 2011

Power in the army is dangerously decentralized and the armed forces mostly remain focused on internal security. In the photo, Iraqi generals watch their troops perform during a war game in Basra.

Aaron C. Davis / The Washington Post

Sept. 17, 2010

Iraq's military operates mostly as local fiefdoms focused on counterterrorism and has never fought as one force.

Marwan Ibrahim / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 6, 2010

Iraqi security forces patrol the streets of Baghdad one day after a coordinated suicide attack on an army complex killed 12 people, with U.S. troops among those who fired back in a bid to repel the operation.

Ali al-Saadi / AFP/Getty Images

April 18, 2011

An Iraqi soldier takes position at the start of the Lion's Leap Operation, a joint U.S.-Iraqi service exercise to demonstrate the Iraqi Security Forces' ability to provide for the security of the Iraqi people and maintain stability throughout the region in Basmaya base, south of Baghdad.

Ahmad Al Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images

Aug. 24, 2010

Iraqi soldiers attend a training session with U.S. troops using American-made M1A battle tanks at the military base of Basmayah. The operation lasted for 10 days in different regions of Iraq and consisted of Iraqi troops on the ground and US F-16 fighter planes in the air.

Ahmad Al Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images

April 30, 2011

With American troops scheduled to leave Iraq by end of the year, many fear that it would leave the country without advanced military capabilities, including fighting aircraft and other equipment.

Aaron C. Davis / The Washington Post

Nov. 16, 2010

An Iraqi soldier stands guard as Sunni Muslims visit the graves of loved ones at the Al-Ghazali cemetery in Baghdad. There are also increasing concerns that the military, which is concentrated under Maliki, could be seem as an agent of the country's Shiite majority.

Ahmad Al Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images

Feb. 9, 2011

A soldier lays out weapons and munitions seized during a joint operation between the army and police dubbed "The Eagles of Baghdad Operation” as they ready for a visit by Qassim Atta, the chief of Baghdad operations command.

Ahmad Al Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images

May 22, 2011

Iraqi troops inspect the scene of a car bomb explosion in the predominantly Shiite north Baghdad district of Sadr City, as more than a dozen bomb attacks in and around the Iraqi capital left 13 people dead, including seven policemen killed in a suicide attack, and 65 wounded.

Ahmad Al Rubaye / AFP/Getty Images

April 30, 2011

The Iraqi army includes about 200,000 of Iraq's 250,000 unfiormed military service members. Many of these soldiers, who man checkpoints throughout the cities, say the only way to rise in the military is to buy their way up.

Aaron C. Davis / The Washington Post

April 30, 2011

Supporters of the Iraqi army say although the armed forces have been taking the lead in securing the country during the past two years, a lot of work is yet to be done to nudge them in the right direction.

Aaron C. Davis / The Washington Post

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