Iraqi military commanders tell The New York Times that more than 1,000 soldiers and police officers either deserted or refused to fight during last week's crackdown on Shiite militants in the southern city of Basra. "The crisis created by the desertions and other problems with the Basra operation was serious enough that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hastily began funneling some 10,000 recruits from local Shiite tribes into his armed forces," the paper says. "That move has already generated anger among Sunni tribesmen whom Mr. Maliki has been much less eager to recruit despite their cooperation with the government in its fight against Sunni insurgents and criminal gangs."
Click for Full Text!