Military Times quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Ramzy Mardini on the lack of US-trained troops in the Iraqi army’s Ramadi offensive:
The fight against ISIS militants in Ramadi could be a costly battle of attrition during its initial phase, similar to the fight in Tikrit in March, said Ramzy Mardini, a former State Department official who is a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council.
“If there’s little confidence that Ramadi will be a quick and decisive victory, then there’s little incentive to be the ones on the front lines,” Mardini said.