Harf: Iraq’s Forces ‘Do Have the Will to Fight’

State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf argued that Iraqi forces “do have the will to fight” “when they’re equipped, when they have support” on Wednesday’s “Situation Room” on CNN.

Harf was asked if the State Department agreed with Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s assessment that the Iraqi forces in Ramadi “showed no will to fight,” she stated, “I think what I would say…is that when these Iraqi forces are trained, when they’re equipped, when they have support, that we have seen them have the will to fight. They are facing, in ISIL, an incredibly complex enemy, an incredibly well-equipped, well-armed, well-trained enemy that has, for example, more resources than Al Qaeda in Iraq ever had. And if you remember how long it took the US and others to push Al Qaeda in Iraq back, it took many, many months, and indeed years. So, the Iraqi forces have been fighting and really contesting Ramadi for many months. We knew there would be setbacks like this. But we have seen that they do have the will to fight. We’re helping equip them, we’re helping train them. It’s going to be a long fight, though.”

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