{"id":68807,"date":"2018-02-18T15:45:11","date_gmt":"2018-02-18T15:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/18\/iraqi-victories-remain-fragile-as-us-reduces-troops\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:39:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:39:27","slug":"iraqi-victories-remain-fragile-as-us-reduces-troops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/18\/iraqi-victories-remain-fragile-as-us-reduces-troops\/","title":{"rendered":"Iraqi victories remain fragile as US reduces troops"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">QAIM, Iraq \u2014 From their outpost on Iraq\u2019s westernmost edge, U.S. 1st Lt. Kyle Hagerty and his troops watched civilians trickle into the area after American and Iraqi forces drove out the Islamic State group. They were, he believed, families returning to liberated homes, a hopeful sign of increasing stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when he interviewed them on a recent reconnaissance patrol, he discovered he was wrong. They were families looking for shelter after being driven from their homes in a nearby town. Those who pushed them out were forces from among their \u201cliberators\u201d \u2014 Shiite militiamen who seized control of the area after defeating the ISIS militants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was a bitter sign of the mixed legacy from the United States\u2019 intervention in Iraq to help defeat the militants. American-backed military firepower brought down the <span class=\"js-paste-start-DHIQSU32KJFI5OAGYVI3NRLTL4\">ISIS<span class=\"js-paste-end-DHIQSU32KJFI5OAGYVI3NRLTL4\"> \u201ccaliphate,\u201d but many of the divisions and problems that helped fuel the extremists\u2019 rise remain unresolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S.-led coalition, which launched its fight against <span class=\"js-paste-start-AX2B6X6DTZC5VBE6UBWMSVNRMU\">ISIS<span class=\"js-paste-end-AX2B6X6DTZC5VBE6UBWMSVNRMU\"> in August 2014, is now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/05\/us-begins-reducing-troops-in-iraq-after-victory-over-isis\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">reducing the numbers of American troops in Iraq<\/a>, after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2017\/12\/10\/us-led-coalition-congratulates-iraq-on-defeating-isis\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Baghdad declared victory<\/a> over the extremists in December. Both Iraqi and U.S. officials say the exact size of the drawdown has not yet been decided.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2017\/12\/20\/iraq-declared-victory-over-isis-but-the-fight-isnt-over\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. and Iraqi commanders<\/a> here in western Iraq warn that victories over ISIS could be undercut easily by a large-scale withdrawal. Iraq\u2019s regular military remains dependent on U.S. support. Many within Iraq\u2019s minority communities view the U.S. presence as a buffer against the Shiite-dominated central government. Still, Iranian-backed militias with strong voices in Baghdad are pushing for a complete U.S. withdrawal, and some Iraqis liken any American presence to a form of occupation.<\/p>\n\n\n<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link smg-interstitial-link--fallback wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/land\/2018\/01\/17\/army-chief-future-of-us-troops-in-iraq-tbd-as-isis-crumbles\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__fallback-link\">Army chief: Future of US troops in Iraq TBD as ISIS crumbles<\/a><\/aside>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That has left an uncomfortable limbo in this area that was the last battlefield against the extremists. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/smr\/munich-security-forum\/2018\/02\/15\/nato-to-create-formal-training-mission-in-iraq\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Coalition commanders<\/a> still work with Iraqi forces to develop long-term plans for stability even as a drawdown goes ahead with no one certain of its eventual extent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HEARTS AND MINDS \u2014 AGAIN<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet\u2019s go win us some hearts and minds,\u201d Sgt. Jonathan Cary, 23, joked as he and Hagerty and the patrol convoy set off from a base outside the town of Qaim, evoking a phrase used in American policy goals for Iraq ever since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After just a few hours moving on foot across farmland and orchards to a cluster of modest houses, Hagerty realized the families he thought were returnees to the area were in fact newly displaced. Their homes in Qaim had been confiscated by the government-affiliated Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, made up mainly of Shiite paramilitary fighters backed by Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur end goal is a stable Iraq, right?\u201d Hagerty said later, back at the base. \u201cBut when you see stuff like that, it makes you wonder if they are ever going to be able to do it themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040546928906.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-103618\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040546928906.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040546928906.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040546928906.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this Jan. 27, 2018, photo, U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kyle Hagerty speaks to a shepherd in rural Anbar on on a reconnaissance patrol near a coalition outpost in western Iraq. (Susannah George\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After victories against ISIS, the PMF has built up a presence in many parts of Sunni-majority provinces, including western Anbar. It formally falls under the command of the prime minister, but some Iraqi commanders accuse the PMF of being a rival to government power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PMF flags line highways crisscrossing Anbar. At a PMF checkpoint outside al-Asad airbase \u2014 a sprawling complex used by both Iraqi and coalition forces \u2014 U.S. convoys are regularly stopped for hours while busloads of PMF fighters are waved through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Marine Col. Seth Folsom works closely with the branches of Iraq\u2019s security forces \u2014 Sunni tribal fighters and the Iraqi army \u2014 who are increasingly concerned about the rise in power of the PMF. Iran has given no indication of dialing back its support after the defeat of <span class=\"js-paste-start-XJFB4P7YDRBF7K7HLU2KAHS4EU\">ISIS<span class=\"js-paste-end-XJFB4P7YDRBF7K7HLU2KAHS4EU\"> extremists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe biggest question I get now is, \u2018how long can we count on you being here?\u2019\u201d Folsom said of his conversations with Iraqi commanders and local politicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That decision ultimately rests with Iraq\u2019s political leadership, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI guess some people could see that as a cop-out, but at the same time it\u2019s not my place as a lowly colonel to define how long the U.S. presence is going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2018FORWARD LINE OF FREEDOM\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the senior officers leading the current fight against <span class=\"js-paste-start-OEN3HD2NFRCOZJG372QHLOELIM\">ISIS<span class=\"js-paste-end-OEN3HD2NFRCOZJG372QHLOELIM\">, decades of U.S. military intervention in Iraq has defined their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The top U.S. general in Iraq \u2014 Lt. Gen. Paul Funk \u2014 served in Iraq four times: in the Gulf war in 1991; in the 2003 invasion; in the surge when some 170,000 American troops were serving in Iraq in 2007; and most recently in the fight against <span class=\"js-paste-start-NVCIOY75CNCOLHM2INSTUS4FJE\">ISIS<span class=\"js-paste-end-NVCIOY75CNCOLHM2INSTUS4FJE\">.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt will definitely be positive,\u201d Funk said of the legacy of the U.S. role against ISIS in Iraq. \u201cPeople see their young men and women out here defeating evil. That\u2019s a positive thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040545655454.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-103624\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040545655454.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040545655454.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040545655454.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this Jan. 27, 2018, photo, U.S. Army soldiers speak to families in rural Anbar on a reconnaissance patrol near a coalition outpost in western Iraq. (Susannah George\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a recent flight from Baghdad to a small U.S. outpost in northern Syria near Manbij \u2014 a trip that traversed the heart of the battlefield with ISIS for the past 3\u00bd years \u2014 Funk described the future of the fight as ideological and open-ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe problem is people believe it\u2019s already over, and it\u2019s not,\u201d he said. \u201cBeating the ideology, destroying the myth, that\u2019s going to take time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Touching down outside an orchard on the perimeter of the Manbij base, Funk exclaimed: \u201cWelcome to the front line of freedom!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Funk predicts the ideological fight could take years and easily require U.S. troop deployments elsewhere. He said that is one reason he believes it\u2019s so important to visit U.S. troops on the current front lines \u2014 to show them \u201cthe American people believe in their purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have got to recruit the next generation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of the young U.S. troops interviewed by The Associated Press said they didn\u2019t know anything about the Islamic State group when they enlisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rayden Simeona, a 21-year-old corporal in the Marines, enlisted in 2014, when all he knew about the U.S. military was from movies and video games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI felt like I wasn\u2019t going anywhere with my life, I had no idea what IS was. I just knew I wanted to go to war,\u201d he said. Once deployed, he said talk rarely broached the big questions of \u201cWhat we are doing here?\u201d or \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut I do wonder all the time: Why are we spending all this money in Iraq?\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s probably some greater plan or reason that someone much higher up than me knows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IS THE JUICE WORTH THE SQUEEZE?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along Iraq\u2019s border with Syria, the two Iraqi forces charged with holding a key stretch of territory lack direct communication. Because one force falls under the Defense Ministry and the other under the Interior Ministry, their radios are incompatible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, the troops use Nokia cellphones in a part of the country where network coverage is spotty to nonexistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the nearby coalition outpost near Qaim, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Brandon Payne spends much of his time filling communications gaps by relaying messages between different branches of Iraq\u2019s military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe coordination is not where we hoped it would be,\u201d Payne said. \u201cBut they do talk to each other, and we see that as a sign of progress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040597135405.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-103627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040597135405.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040597135405.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040597135405.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this Jan. 25, 2018, photo, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Brandon Payne meets with his Iraqi counterpart at a small complex in the town of Qaim. (Susannah George\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tactical shortcomings within Iraq\u2019s military are partially what fueled the expansion of the coalition\u2019s footprint in Iraq in the past three years. As Iraqi ground forces demonstrated an inability to communicate and coordinate attacks across multiple fronts, U.S. forces moved closer to the fighting and sped up the pace of territorial gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the caliphate\u2019s collapse, those weaknesses have persisted. Iraqi forces remain dependent on coalition intelligence, reconnaissance, artillery fire and airstrikes to hold territory and fight ISIS insurgent cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Payne regularly shuttles between his base, Qaim and the Syrian border, meeting with different members of Iraqi forces to coordinate security and repel <span class=\"js-paste-start-CB4OVHVHEBCYLJ346Q6AAS27VU\">ISIS<span class=\"js-paste-end-CB4OVHVHEBCYLJ346Q6AAS27VU\"> attacks from the Syrian side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would say we are still needed,\u201d Payne said. \u201cWe are getting great results with this model, but you see how much goes into it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The base, once a small, dusty outpost, now houses a few hundred coalition troops and is a maze of barracks, gyms, a dining facility, laundry services and a chapel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt some point, someone much higher up than me is going to decide the juice is just not worth the squeeze,\u201d Payne said, referring to the cost of such a large outpost in a remote corner of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ROTTEN LEADERSHIP<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iraqi army Lt. Col. Akram Salah Hadi, who works closely with Payne\u2019s soldiers at the Qaim outpost, said coalition training and intelligence sharing have improved the performance of his unit. But overall, the U.S. effort in Iraq gives him little hope for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Corruption in the military, Hadi said, remains as bad as it was in 2014, when it was seen as a major reason why entire Iraqi divisions simply dissolved in the assault on Mosul by a few hundred ISIS fighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040552051243.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-103631\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040552051243.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040552051243.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18040552051243.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this Jan. 27, 2018, photo, U.S. Army soldiers conduct a reconnaissance patrol in a rural village near a coalition outpost in western Iraq. (Susannah George\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Young Iraqi soldiers with ambition and talent can\u2019t rise through the ranks without political connections. Top ranks are bloated with officers who have bought their promotions. Within his division alone, Hadi said he can think of 40 officers with no military background who attained their rank because of their membership in a political party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith leadership like this, the rest will always be rotten,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Coalition programs that have trained tens of thousands of Iraqi troops have largely focused on the infantry, not the junior officers needed to lead units and instill a culture of service that will make a professional force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Folsom, the U.S. Marine colonel, said military power will not root out corruption or heal Iraq\u2019s longstanding divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have a saying out here,\u201d he added, \u201d\u2018You can\u2019t want it more than them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coalition commanders still work with Iraqi forces to develop long-term plans for stability even as a drawdown goes ahead with no one certain of its eventual extent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":52236,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1184],"class_list":["post-68807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"WITLS2HQDVDSPNLS2RQKWAQ3FA","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/18\/iraqi-victories-remain-fragile-as-us-reduces-troops\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Iraqi victories remain fragile as US reduces troops - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Coalition commanders still work with Iraqi forces to develop long-term plans for stability even as a drawdown goes ahead with no one certain of its eventual extent.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Iraqi victories remain fragile as US reduces troops\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Coalition commanders still work with Iraqi forces to develop long-term plans for stability even as a drawdown goes ahead with no one certain of its eventual extent.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/02\/18\/iraqi-victories-remain-fragile-as-us-reduces-troops\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-18T15:45:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T13:39:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Susannah George, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Susannah George, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": 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