WATCH ABOVE: Soldiers from the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and US-led coalition troops on Tuesday surveyed a cache of weapons supplied to help liberate Mosul from Islamic State, a video released by the ministry showed.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense has criticized Iraqi forces for fleeing a battle that allowed ISIS to take control of the city of Ramadi.
The seizure of Ramadi, some 130 kilometres west of Baghdad, is seen by some as a major defeat in the fight against the militant group.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Sunday Iraqi forces “showed no will to fight,” despite “vastly” outnumbering ISIS militants in Ramadi.
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But it’s not entirely fair to suggest Iraqi forces are simply giving up, said Ferry de Kerckhove, a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
He said everyone needs to “take a deep breath” and “not jump to conclusions” that the loss of Ramadi spells disaster for the fight against ISIS.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi defended government forces, following Carter’s criticism, and once again vowed Iraqi troops would retake Ramadi.
De Kerckhove said it is evident from the retreat that the training and logistical support the U.S.-led coalition is providing Iraqi forces is not enough and it shows the U.S. is not quite as “engaged” as it was in the early days of the anti-ISIS efforts, said de Kerchove.
“The training is not doing what we have managed to do with the Peshmerga,” said de Kerkchove, referencing Canada’s small contingent of military advisers training Kurdish fighters.
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ISIS, in the meantime, is “far more advanced than that we care to admit,” said De Kerckhove. “They’re remarkably well prepared.”
One other problem that arises from Iraqi forces leaving the battlefield is what they’re leaving on the battlefield.
“Millions of dollars worth of U.S.-supplied military equipment appeared to be left behind, including dozens of tanks and armored vehicles,” the Washington Post reported Saturday.
It’s been an ongoing issue since ISIS captured Mosul last June.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Pentagon officials believe more than 100 vehicles — including Humvees, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and some artillery pieces — have been left behind for ISIS to claim.
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