US Defense Sec.:Iraqi Mil.Had "No Will to Fight;" Had Ramadi Troop Ratio of 10 to 1,Still Retreated

The Islamic State (IS) was able to seize the key Iraqi city of Ramadi because the Iraqi military "showed no will to fight," US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a TV interview that aired today (May 24, 2015), according to the USA Today website.

He offered sharp criticism of the Iraqi security forces and defended the Obama Administration's use of air strikes against the Islamic State during the interview on CNN's "State of the Union." Carter said the Iraqi forces outnumbered IS fighters by a ratio of 10 to 1 in the provincial capital but retreated.

"What apparently happened is the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight. They were not outnumbered," Carter said. "In fact, they vastly outnumbered the opposing force. That says to me, and I think to most of us, that we have an issue with the will of the Iraqis to fight IS and defend themselves."

"We can give them training," he said. "We can give them equipment. We obviously can't give them the will to fight."