Iraqi forces have not shown the will to fight in Ramadi, says Ashton Carter
U.S. Defense Secretary
(IraqiNews.com) US Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter announced on Sunday that the Iraqi army has not “shown the will to fight” in the city of Ramadi, which fell a week ago in the hands of ISIS.
The American minister said in an interview for “CNN” followed by IraqiNews.com, “What happened is that Iraqi troops did not show the will to fight .We have a problem with the will of the Iraqis in the fight against the Islamic state (ISIS).”
Carter added that Iraqi soldiers did not suffer from a lack in number; they were much more than ISIS elements, but they withdrew from the region.
Carter stressed: “We can offer them training and equipment, but we certainly cannot give them the will to fight.”
In another context, Carter said that the air strikes carried out by coalition forces led by the United States are effective, but they cannot replace the will of the Iraqi forces to fight.