a conscripted army will never be as strong or as well motivated as an all volunteer force, i don't think anybody can or will dispute that point. yes, they have some well trained operatives who are combat experienced, but again, what weapons do they produce themselves? do they manufacture their own f-15/16's? what kind of a navy do they have? are they equiped with any aircraft carriers, or is their navy made up mostly of a bunch of smaller craft and a few subs? where did they come across the nuclear weapons they are alleged to be in possession of? is their small population and economy capable of funding the current military setup they have in place, or are they dependent on help from outside sources? their military force is roughly the same size as that of the uk, who would smoke them in any type of conflict in short order!

i have no dog in the fight over there. i think it's silly for us to continue to waste vast amounts of money to try and shape the region as we see fit, which hasn't exactly worked out too well! i get very annoyed at all of these people who are so passionate about supporting them. imo, unless you are willing to join up or send your own family over there to fight for them, you should keep your fucking ideas to yourself. religious nutjobs have and will continue to kill each other based off of a bunch silly nonsense, best to just steer clear of the whole mess imo!