Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said the U.S. knew that the Iraqi Security Forces did not have adequate capabilities to combat ISIL when the terrorist group overtook Mosul in June of 2014 in an interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell.
"What surprised us, certainly from a military perspective, was how quickly they moved into Mosul over the summer," Kirby said.
"We knew that the Iraqi Security Forces weren't able to keep up their capabilities as well as they were when we left in 2011. I don't think we were as prepared for how quickly some of those divisions really weren't well-led, weren't well-trained and simply just melted away and turned in their guns and left the battlefield. That surprised us."
Kirby's statements complicate President Obama's assertion on CBS's 60 Minutes that the U.S. overestimated the ability and will of the Iraqi army to fight. Kirby said the U.S. did, in fact, underestimate the speed with which ISIL would be able to take control over Mosul.
"I don't think we completely fully appreciated the speed with which they could move and how well resourced and how lightning fast they could be in the summertime," Kirby said.
"It wasn't that we weren't watching it or tracking it, the entire inner agency was watching these guys. But we did underestimate how quickly they can grow and develop and how fast they could recruit."