U.S., Iraq Commanders Dislike Leave Rules
U.S. and Iraqi commanders are increasingly critical of a policy that lets Iraqi soldiers leave their units virtually at will — essentially deserting with no punishment. They blame the lax rule for draining the Iraqi ranks to confront the insurgency — in some cases by 30 percent or even half. Iraqi officials, however, say they have no choice but to allow the policy, or they may gain virtually no volunteers. Full Story