Iraq conflict: Panic, disarray and ignominious flight
13 June 2014 Last updated at 23:36 BST
The
collapse of the US-trained Iraqi military in the face of the initial
onslaught from ISIS fighters and their allies underscores the perilous
position confronting Iraq's rulers. On paper, Iraq's military is a sizeable force - an army of over 193,000 to which can be added some 500,000 police and paramilitary forces of one kind or another.
Nonetheless it is a force where - in the aftermath of the US military's departure in 2011 - some units at least might have been expected to acquit themselves well in combat.
Instead, they have largely abandoned their weaponry, stripped off their uniforms and fled.
Paul Wood reports.
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