U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has said that Iraqi forces "failed to fight" in Ramadi, which has fallen to Islamic State militants, and said the troops lacked the will to defend themselves.
"What apparently happened was the Iraqi forces showed no will to fight," Carter said on CNN's State of the Union on May 24.
Carter said Iraqi soldiers "vastly outnumbered" their opposition in the capital of Anbar Province but quickly withdrew from the city.
Iraqi forces left behind large numbers of U.S.-supplied vehicles, including tanks.
Iraqi lawmaker Hakim al-Zamili, the head of the parliamentary defense and security committee, called Carter's comments "unrealistic and baseless," in an interview with AP on May 24.
He blamed Washington for failing to provide "good equipment, weapons and aerial support" to Iraqi soldiers.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
In Russia's War Economy, The Warning Lights Are Blinking
2Attack From Afghanistan Kills Chinese National In Tajikistan, Sources Say
3RFE/RL Reveals Chilling New Details Of Bucha Massacre As Ukraine Marks 1,000 Days Of War
4Putin Says Russia Fired New Intermediate Missile At Ukraine After ICBM Accusations
5Wider Europe Briefing: Georgia's Vanishing EU Dreams
6Steps Too Far As Moscow, Washington Cross 'Red Lines' Over Ukraine?
7Ukraine Live Briefing: Verkhovna Rada Closes Over Strike Fears
8Dutch Deliver Final 2 F-16 Jets, As Germany, U.S. Set New Ukraine Aid Packages
9The Far-Right Firebrand Too Dangerous To Run For Romania's Presidency
10Russia Says Ukraine Used ATACMS Against Military Target In Bryansk
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
