Ret. U.S. Army Col. Peter Mansoor, the former executive officer to Gen. David Petraeus, told “CNN Newsroom” anchor Randi Kaye that the violence in Iraq is a predictable consequence of the United States’ quick withdrawal from the country. Mansoor was asked, “Why didn’t the US see this coming?”
He responded, “Well, some of us did see it coming. When we withdrew the forces in Iraq we withdrew the glue that held that state together, we withdrew the backbone that was helping the Iraqi Army better itself. What happened in the succeeding years is Nouri al-Maliki replaced competent army commanders with political cronies, and you ended up with an army that is very loyal to him but can’t fight effectively.”
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