Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Fears of a failed state if the U.S. withdraws too soon
Security
(CNN) - There are about 330,000 trained Iraqi security forces, including 120,000 in the Iraqi army and 135,000 police force members, according to the U.S. Defense Department. But, according to a Defense Department report in March, "The actual number of present-for-duty soldiers is about one-half to two-thirds of the total due to scheduled leave, absence without leave and attrition."
The Iraqi army's administration has not kept up with its recruitment. Some units don't want to be deployed away from their home districts. On any day, one-quarter of the force is on vacation; soldiers get one week off in every four. Also compared with a contracted, professional army, Iraqi soldiers are hired as if it's for any job, and they are free to leave whenever they wish. Many do, officials say.
In combat, without American forces present, the Iraqi soldiers have no medical evacuation capacity and no air support. They rely on the U.S.-led coalition for equipment, training and supplies. "The sacrifice of U.S. soldiers and the families of soldiers ... is incredible," Gen. Ali Ghiran-Majeed says, speaking through a translator. "We Iraqis will never forget them. [But] we need the coalition to stay."
Polls of Iraqis this year have consistently shown an overwhelming majority want U.S. forces to leave -- but not just yet. And as much as the majority of Iraqis say they loathe the American presence, they also fear its end.
U.S. Brig. Gen. Dana Pittard says the American people are right to hold the U.S. policy accountable in Iraq, but he appeals for patience. "It takes time," he says. "A huge amount of progress has been made, but we're not there yet." He cites the Iraqi army. "In early 2005, there were two struggling IA [Iraqi army] divisions. Now there are 10 very capable IA divisions, and we're working on the 11th and 12th."
Pittard is counted a rising star in the U.S. military, a thoughtful man devoid of swagger. His experience includes a year commanding troops in Diyala province, which has recently descended into bloody chaos. He is frank in assessing the Iraqi military. "The Iraqi Security Forces cannot take the fight to the enemy without our assistance at this point," he says.
He says an American withdrawal, like many in Washington are pushing for, "would cause a huge vacuum that the enemies of Iraq would take advantage of. We cannot leave Iraq in disarray. We came here in 2003. We cannot leave this nation as a failed state," he says. A failed state is what almost everyone in Iraq predicts if the Americans go too early. It is one of the very few points of agreement here.
The Iraqi army's administration has not kept up with its recruitment. Some units don't want to be deployed away from their home districts. On any day, one-quarter of the force is on vacation; soldiers get one week off in every four. Also compared with a contracted, professional army, Iraqi soldiers are hired as if it's for any job, and they are free to leave whenever they wish. Many do, officials say.
In combat, without American forces present, the Iraqi soldiers have no medical evacuation capacity and no air support. They rely on the U.S.-led coalition for equipment, training and supplies. "The sacrifice of U.S. soldiers and the families of soldiers ... is incredible," Gen. Ali Ghiran-Majeed says, speaking through a translator. "We Iraqis will never forget them. [But] we need the coalition to stay."
Polls of Iraqis this year have consistently shown an overwhelming majority want U.S. forces to leave -- but not just yet. And as much as the majority of Iraqis say they loathe the American presence, they also fear its end.
U.S. Brig. Gen. Dana Pittard says the American people are right to hold the U.S. policy accountable in Iraq, but he appeals for patience. "It takes time," he says. "A huge amount of progress has been made, but we're not there yet." He cites the Iraqi army. "In early 2005, there were two struggling IA [Iraqi army] divisions. Now there are 10 very capable IA divisions, and we're working on the 11th and 12th."
Pittard is counted a rising star in the U.S. military, a thoughtful man devoid of swagger. His experience includes a year commanding troops in Diyala province, which has recently descended into bloody chaos. He is frank in assessing the Iraqi military. "The Iraqi Security Forces cannot take the fight to the enemy without our assistance at this point," he says.
He says an American withdrawal, like many in Washington are pushing for, "would cause a huge vacuum that the enemies of Iraq would take advantage of. We cannot leave Iraq in disarray. We came here in 2003. We cannot leave this nation as a failed state," he says. A failed state is what almost everyone in Iraq predicts if the Americans go too early. It is one of the very few points of agreement here.
Labels: Brig. Gen. Dana Pittard, Gen. Ali Ghiran-Majeed, Iraqi Army, U.S. troop withdrawal
