Yesterday the Pentagon said more than 1/3 of the soldiers in Iraq's first batallion have already deserted. Of the 700 troops that completed training in early October only 450 remain, for a monthly desertion rate of about 20%.
At this rate the first batallion will completely disappear by ... next Friday.
UPDATE:
On Saturday the Washington Post followed up on the AP report with a must-read front-page piece on the Iraqi military. According to the Post, 200, or more that 20%, of the initial recruits didn't even make it out of basic training. And basic was so brutal it was taught by "polite, respectful, and even friendly" instructors, who encouraged trainees to "take time off and relax and watch Sylvester Stallone and Jackie Chan movies."There are a bunch more hilarious bits inside.
posted by dack