Why the Iraqi Army is Losing to ISIL in Two Pictures!

The top image is a U.S. soldier training an Iraqi soldier the correct technique for firing over a berm. If you have ever fired a rifle then you will immediately see this is a very stable position and a decent shot can regularly hit a person sized target at 300m away or more this way. Also, if a mortar shell or grenade lands on his side of the berm, the Iraqi would have a good chance to escape being hit by shrapnel.

A U.S. soldier training an Iraqi soldier to fire over a berm (Washington Times)

The image below is of Iraqi soldier actually firing over a berm at ISIL. A standing position is much less stable and even a good shot will have problems hitting a person sized target 200m away. Even more telling is that the guy on the far right can't even see over the berm. He is using "spray and pray" and can only hit anything by luck.

Iraqi soldiers firing over a berm at ISIL (AP)

Of course, there could be a good reason to do what the Iraqi soldiers are doing such as they might need to be able to move quickly etc. However, from the photo it looks like they should be doing it the "book" way.

Firing a rifle over a berm is something that every U.S. soldier learns in Basic Training. Basic Training is just that, the minimum basics of being a soldier. In the U.S. Army it lasts about 8 weeks. The Iraqi Army has had over 10 years of training by the U.S. military.