White House stands by Carter comments on Iraq
Whether it was an indiscretion or not, the White House is standing behind Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's statement that the Iraq army lacks the will to fight the Islamic State.
"That certainly has been a problem that we've seen in the past," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "That's what allowed ISIL (the Islamic State) to make such significant gains last summer."
Carter raised questions about the Iraq army's capacity to fight after the Islamic State captured Ramadi, the capital city of Iraq's largest province.
"What apparently happened was that the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight," Carter told CNN's State of the Union. "They were not out-numbered but in fact they vastly outnumbered the opposing force, and yet they failed to fight."
Earnest said the United States and allies remain committed to training up the Iraqi forces as they battle the Islamic State, also known as ISIL.
"What the United States and our coalition has been focused on is making sure that we can enhance the capacity of the Iraqi security forces and supporting the Iraqi central government as they try to unite that country and build a multi-sectarian security force to face the threat that is posed by ISIL," Earnest said.
"It initially appeared Monday that Vice President Joe Biden was patching up Carter's remark by placing a call to Iraq's prime minister to 'reaffirm U.S. support' and recognize 'the enormous sacrifice and bravery of Iraqi forces.' But there was no hint of an apology in today's briefing.
"'What the Iraqi government has acknowledged is that the setback that they experienced in Ramadi was at least in part attributable to a breakdown in some military command and planning,' Earnest told reporters today."