thedrifter
12-05-06, 02:20 PM
General: Iraq Will Take Over in 2007
Associated Press | December 05, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military expects all of Iraq to be under the control of Iraqi forces by mid-2007, the country's top American military spokesman said Tuesday.
"We would expect to see the entire country having reached provincial Iraqi control by early fall of next year," Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said at a news conference in Baghdad. "We should see the complete transfer of command and control of all Iraqi army divisions by late spring, early summer."
He said this is part of an accelerated timetable discussed by U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during their summit in Jordan last week.
In an interview with the U.S. television network ABC the day of the summit, al-Maliki said Iraqi forces would be ready. "I can tell you that by next June, our forces will take over the security of the country," he said.
The U.S. maintains about 140,000 troops in Iraq and is now considering changing its strategic course in the country, which the U.S.-led coalition invaded in March 2003.
Currently, the U.S.-led coalition has a process under way whose aim is to give the governors of Iraq's 18 provinces complete control over their governments and all their services, including police. Under that system, if violence developed that local police could not handle, a governor could request help from national police or the Iraqi army. To get coalition forces involved, a governor would need to receive the permission of Iraq's prime minister.
Only two provinces have gone through that process so far, Muthanna and Dhi Qar, both located in the relatively peaceful south of Iraq where British forces are based.
Presently, Iraq has 10 divisions of soldiers, seven controlled by U.S. forces and three by Iraq's central government.
A major goal of the U.S. military is to adequately train and equip all the Iraqi soldiers the country needs and to fully transfer the command and control of them to Iraq's central government.
"We are in a period of transition as Iraqis assume greater responsibility and authority for the security of Iraq," Caldwell said.
He said U.S. forces still have greater capability than Iraqi troops. But he praised the ability of Iraqi soldiers to identify the threats posed by insurgents and to deter their attacks. He also said the Iraqi troops have a far better understanding of the country's terrain, language and culture than their American counterparts.
"The fundamental conflict of Iraq won't be resolved until Iraqis come to grips with the difficult issues dividing them," Caldwell said. "In order to bring about this transition more effectively and rapidly, we will accelerate some aspects of our support for the Iraqi security forces in the near future."
To achieve that goal, U.S. forces are working with Iraq's defense and interior ministries to accelerate leadership development, logistics and communications capabilities and to create tactical reserves, the spokesman said.
Associated Press | December 05, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military expects all of Iraq to be under the control of Iraqi forces by mid-2007, the country's top American military spokesman said Tuesday.
"We would expect to see the entire country having reached provincial Iraqi control by early fall of next year," Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said at a news conference in Baghdad. "We should see the complete transfer of command and control of all Iraqi army divisions by late spring, early summer."
He said this is part of an accelerated timetable discussed by U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during their summit in Jordan last week.
In an interview with the U.S. television network ABC the day of the summit, al-Maliki said Iraqi forces would be ready. "I can tell you that by next June, our forces will take over the security of the country," he said.
The U.S. maintains about 140,000 troops in Iraq and is now considering changing its strategic course in the country, which the U.S.-led coalition invaded in March 2003.
Currently, the U.S.-led coalition has a process under way whose aim is to give the governors of Iraq's 18 provinces complete control over their governments and all their services, including police. Under that system, if violence developed that local police could not handle, a governor could request help from national police or the Iraqi army. To get coalition forces involved, a governor would need to receive the permission of Iraq's prime minister.
Only two provinces have gone through that process so far, Muthanna and Dhi Qar, both located in the relatively peaceful south of Iraq where British forces are based.
Presently, Iraq has 10 divisions of soldiers, seven controlled by U.S. forces and three by Iraq's central government.
A major goal of the U.S. military is to adequately train and equip all the Iraqi soldiers the country needs and to fully transfer the command and control of them to Iraq's central government.
"We are in a period of transition as Iraqis assume greater responsibility and authority for the security of Iraq," Caldwell said.
He said U.S. forces still have greater capability than Iraqi troops. But he praised the ability of Iraqi soldiers to identify the threats posed by insurgents and to deter their attacks. He also said the Iraqi troops have a far better understanding of the country's terrain, language and culture than their American counterparts.
"The fundamental conflict of Iraq won't be resolved until Iraqis come to grips with the difficult issues dividing them," Caldwell said. "In order to bring about this transition more effectively and rapidly, we will accelerate some aspects of our support for the Iraqi security forces in the near future."
To achieve that goal, U.S. forces are working with Iraq's defense and interior ministries to accelerate leadership development, logistics and communications capabilities and to create tactical reserves, the spokesman said.