As he led his platoon across once perilous terrain, Lieutenant Colonel William Zemp was quick to praise Iraqi troops. Less than six months ago, this farming village near the town of Mahmudiya — about 50 miles south of Baghdad — was prime al-Qaeda territory, and a target for numerous raids. On this day, however, small groups of children poked their heads out of doorways to wave; an army medic checked an old woman in a wheelchair; and two families invited the troops to lunch. None of this would have been possible, Zemp said, without the efforts of the newly strengthened Iraqi Army.
[...]
But where was the Iraqi platoon that was supposed to be leading this morning's sweep of the village? As it turned out, they had all overslept.
There were a few Iraqi troops around, in mismatched uniforms, as well as a secondary commander, but the designated platoon was nowhere to be found. "The army is very good at what they do," said Zemp. "They just have a problem with sleeping in."
Yeah {yawn} me too.
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