Rumours swirl about Iraq’s ‘ghost’ military

What the Arabic-language press has to say about ISIL's sudden success in Ramadi, featuring Annahar and Asharq Al Awsat.

Ramadi residents who fled their homes take refuge. Hadi Mizban / AP

When Mosul fell to ISIL last June, rumours spread that the Iraqi army had fled instead of countering the terrorist offensive, and was said to be merely a ghost army fabricated by the then prime minister Nouri Al Maliki.

Rajeh Al Khoury, writing in the Lebanese daily Annahar, said it then transpired that the more than $120 billion (Dh441bn) spent to reform and rehabilitate Iraq’s army was nothing more than an illusion and that all the funds had gone straight into the pockets of corrupt officials.

When ISIL fighters seized Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar province, this week, it was once more said that the army had fled its positions despite current prime minister Haidar Al Abadi’s assertions that his army would prevail.

“Does this mean that the new Iraqi government has also put together a ghost army or is it implementing a plan to divide Iraq?” he asked.

It is well known that for more than 18 months, he wrote, Anbar province has been beseeching the central government in Baghdad to provide it with arms and support, to no avail. Nor is it a secret that the plan to support the provinces has not been implemented. Despite ISIL’s progress into the suburbs of Ramadi, Baghdad continued to ignore calls for help, he added.

“It is bizarre that for the past six months Al Abadi hasn’t been able to form even the core of the Iraqi army and it hasn’t armed the tribes despite their repeated calls for assistance. And now that Ramadi has fallen, he decided to send the Shiite Popular Mobilisation units to liberate it.”

Those who fled Ramadi were not allowed to cross the Euphrates into Baghdad, a move that observers are interpreting as a sign of sectarian segmentation.

Wafiq Al Samerraee, writing in the London-based daily Asharq Al Awsat, also said ISIL’s march on Anbar province was facilitated by corrupt officials and warlords from within the region.

“Just as Mosul fell as a result of a conspiracy, Ramadi’s fall was the outcome of a series of plots, deception and surprises in the field,” he wrote.

“But it was strange that the city’s police commander had left it two days prior to the offensive, along with a number of tribal chiefs and senior administrative officials.

“Was that part of a conspiracy, or was it a sign of weakness or unprecedented foresight?”

Also writing in Asharq Al Awsat, Abdulrahman Al Rashed said ISIL is the biggest winner, having evolved from a scattered terrorist organisation to a self-declared state, acquiring more weapons, troops, funds and clout.

“It is fast expanding to occupy dozens of towns and cities, including the largest two cities in Anbar province, and it has drawn near to the borders of three states and to the limits of Baghdad,” he said.

Iran, too, benefits immensely from ISIL’s success. As Iraq’s powers ebb, it will rely more on Tehran’s support, while the population of the Anbar province face more suffering and displacement.

Most of the two million internally-displaced Iraqi refugees are Sunnis who are banned from entering Baghdad, Karbala and Kurdistan for sectarian reasons but who also can’t stay in the towns under ISIL control out of fear for their lives.

Translated by Racha Makarem