Two U.S. Soldiers Killed by Iraqi Soldier While Training Iraqi Soldiers

What's to stop jihadists from entering the Iraqi army? Not much, apparently. Here's how things stand at the Iraqi recruiting office.

JIHADIST: "Hello. I'd like to join the army."
RECRUITING AGENT: "Well, we're trying to turn our country into a modern democracy. Are you sure you're not a jihadist?"
JIHADIST: "I'm sure."
RECRUITING AGENT: "Promise?"
JIHADIST: "I promise I'm not a jihadist."
RECRUITING AGENT: "Pinky swear?"
JIHADIST: "Pinky swear."
RECRUITING AGENT: "All right, you're in. Say, do you have any tattoos?"
JIHADIST: "Just one, here on my back."
RECRUITING AGENT: "That's beautiful! What's it say?"
JIHADIST: "It's a quotation from Muhammad. It says, 'War is deceit.' By the way, when do I get my gun?"

But if we just keep proclaiming that Islam is a religion of peace, maybe the jihadists will reach out for hugs.

BAGHDAD – Two U.S. troops were killed Saturday by an Iraqi soldier who apparently smuggled real bullets into a training exercise and opened fire, raising fresh concerns about insurgents worming into the nation's security forces as the Americans prepare to leave by the year's end.

A U.S. military official said the shooter was immediately killed by American soldiers who were running the morning drill at a training center on a U.S. base in the northern city of Mosul. The U.S. official said the exercise was not meant to involve live ammunition, and an Iraqi army officer said the shooting appeared to have been planned.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information. A U.S. statement confirmed that two soldiers were killed and a third was wounded by small-arms fire by what the military described as "an individual wearing an Iraqi army uniform." (Read more.)