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Iraq Military - Page 3

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told CNN Iraqi forces "Showed no will to fight" ISIS in Ramadi.

Carter spoke frankly in an exclusive interview on "State of the Union," Saying that the weak state of Iraq's military was one major reason Ramadi fell to ISIS, the terror group also known as ISIL.

"What apparently happened was that the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight," Carter told CNN's Barbara Starr. "They were not outnumbered. In fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force, and yet they failed to fight, they withdrew from the site, and that says to me, and I think to most of us, that we have an issue with the will of the Iraqis to fight ISIL and defend themselves."

Carter said Iraq's military needs to step up.

"We can give them training, we can give them equipment -- we obviously can't give them the will to fight," Carter said. "But if we give them training, we give them equipment, and give them support, and give them some time, I hope they will develop the will to fight, because only if they fight can ISIL remain defeated."

The full interview with Carter airs today on "State of the Union." Ref. CNN

Military Iraq

Iraqi PM Warns That New ISIS Fighters Are Overwhelming the Iraqi Army:

The sense of urgency among Western leaders has risen sharply since mid-May, when ISIS seized Iraq's western town of Ramadi. The battle seemed one-sided, with a determined ISIS driving out ineffectual Iraqi troops Ref. Source 2z