Monday, September 10, 2007
Al-Maliki admits Iraqi troops aren't ready to take over security
Security, Politics
(CNN) -- Iraq's prime minister Monday touted his government's efforts in thwarting "sectarian war" and acknowledged that Iraqi troops are not yet ready to fully take over security duties from the U.S.-led coalition.
"We have succeeded in preventing Iraq from going into sectarian war -- which threatened our dear Iraq -- and I am fully confident that national reconciliation is our only way that takes Iraq into safety in spite of all the destabilizing actions by local and international groups," said al-Maliki, who addressed the country's parliament, the Council of Representatives.
"Despite the security improvement, we still need more efforts and time in order for our armed forces to be able to take over security control in all Iraqi provinces from the multinational forces that helped us in a great way in fighting terrorism and outlaws" he told parliament.
Al-Maliki's comments came hours before U.S. Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker were to appear before Congress to deliver reports on military and political progress in Iraq. Both men have expressed disappointment in the al-Maliki government's efforts to foster national reconciliation and are expected to underscore their concerns about the environment in Iraq, which has been wracked by insurgent violence and sectarian civil warfare.
At the same time, they are expected to tout some military strides, including more support from Sunni tribes against al Qaeda in Iraq and more security in Baghdad. Al-Maliki said there has been a 75 percent drop in violence in Baghdad and nearby areas since the beefed-up Baghdad security plan started early in the year. "The key to reconstruction, economic development and improving peoples' standard of living is security," he said.
The prime minister's comments about Iraqi troop readiness jibes with last week's report from the Independent Commission on Security Forces in Iraq, headed by retired Gen. James L. Jones, the former top United States commander in Europe. It said that while there will be "continued improvement" in the "readiness and capability" of Iraqi security forces in the next 12 to 18 months, they still will not be able to "operate independently."
"We have succeeded in preventing Iraq from going into sectarian war -- which threatened our dear Iraq -- and I am fully confident that national reconciliation is our only way that takes Iraq into safety in spite of all the destabilizing actions by local and international groups," said al-Maliki, who addressed the country's parliament, the Council of Representatives.
"Despite the security improvement, we still need more efforts and time in order for our armed forces to be able to take over security control in all Iraqi provinces from the multinational forces that helped us in a great way in fighting terrorism and outlaws" he told parliament.
Al-Maliki's comments came hours before U.S. Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker were to appear before Congress to deliver reports on military and political progress in Iraq. Both men have expressed disappointment in the al-Maliki government's efforts to foster national reconciliation and are expected to underscore their concerns about the environment in Iraq, which has been wracked by insurgent violence and sectarian civil warfare.
At the same time, they are expected to tout some military strides, including more support from Sunni tribes against al Qaeda in Iraq and more security in Baghdad. Al-Maliki said there has been a 75 percent drop in violence in Baghdad and nearby areas since the beefed-up Baghdad security plan started early in the year. "The key to reconstruction, economic development and improving peoples' standard of living is security," he said.
The prime minister's comments about Iraqi troop readiness jibes with last week's report from the Independent Commission on Security Forces in Iraq, headed by retired Gen. James L. Jones, the former top United States commander in Europe. It said that while there will be "continued improvement" in the "readiness and capability" of Iraqi security forces in the next 12 to 18 months, they still will not be able to "operate independently."
Labels: Iraqi security forces, Nouri Al-Maliki
Friday, September 07, 2007
Iraqi govt advisor lashes back against U.S. report critical of Iraqi security forces
Government
(AP) -- An Iraqi government adviser on Thursday disputed a new U.S. report critical of the country's security forces, saying the independent assessment was unacceptable interference in internal affairs. Yassin Majid, an adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said "it is not the duty of the independent committee to ask for changes at the Interior Ministry, especially when it comes to security apparatus."
His comments came a day after a study led by retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Jones found that Iraq's security forces will be unable to take control of the country in the next 18 months, and Baghdad's national police force is so rife with corruption it should be scrapped entirely. The assessment was expected to factor heavily into Congress' debate on the war. Republicans see success by the Iraqi forces as critical to bringing U.S. troops home, while an increasing number of Democrats say the U.S. should stop training and equipping such units altogether.
"This is an Iraqi affair and we will not accept interference by anyone in such work, whether the Congress or others," Majid told The Associated Press by telephone. "The report is inaccurate and not official and we consider it interference in our internal affairs." Majid also stressed that al-Maliki's government had ordered some members of security agencies fired because of corruption charges and links to militias and said that policy had been extended to other agencies.
"The al-Maliki government will do this with all state agencies. We will not take dictation from reports," he said.
The 20-member panel of mostly retired senior military and police officers concluded that Iraq's military, in particular its army, shows the most promise of becoming a viable, independent security force with time. But the group predicts an adequate logistics system to support these ground forces is at least another two years away. The report also offered a scathing assessment of Iraq's Interior Ministry and recommended scrapping Iraq's national police force, which it described as dysfunctional and infiltrated by militias.
His comments came a day after a study led by retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Jones found that Iraq's security forces will be unable to take control of the country in the next 18 months, and Baghdad's national police force is so rife with corruption it should be scrapped entirely. The assessment was expected to factor heavily into Congress' debate on the war. Republicans see success by the Iraqi forces as critical to bringing U.S. troops home, while an increasing number of Democrats say the U.S. should stop training and equipping such units altogether.
"This is an Iraqi affair and we will not accept interference by anyone in such work, whether the Congress or others," Majid told The Associated Press by telephone. "The report is inaccurate and not official and we consider it interference in our internal affairs." Majid also stressed that al-Maliki's government had ordered some members of security agencies fired because of corruption charges and links to militias and said that policy had been extended to other agencies.
"The al-Maliki government will do this with all state agencies. We will not take dictation from reports," he said.
The 20-member panel of mostly retired senior military and police officers concluded that Iraq's military, in particular its army, shows the most promise of becoming a viable, independent security force with time. But the group predicts an adequate logistics system to support these ground forces is at least another two years away. The report also offered a scathing assessment of Iraq's Interior Ministry and recommended scrapping Iraq's national police force, which it described as dysfunctional and infiltrated by militias.
Labels: Gen. James Jones, Iraqi security forces, The Jones report, Yassin Majid
Thursday, September 06, 2007
The armies of Iraq
Security
(Al Jazeera) - Four years ago the fighting in Iraq was just beginning. The armed group al-Qaeda in Iraq did not even exist and Sunni and Shia groups were working together against the US-led forces. Three years ago, sectarian divisions escalated into a battle some believe has reached civil war proportions.
Now the fighters have turned against each other. This year has seen Shia infighting on the streets of Iraqi cities such as Karbala and Sunni armed groups fighting to keep al-Qaeda out of their regions. In a series of reports, Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid looks at the new reality of Iraq's many armies.
Part One - Sunni armed groups
Sunni armed groups are a complicated web of alliances of Iraqi nationalists, Islamists, former Iraqi army officers and a few Baathists. For the past four years, the groups have become better organised and more popular among disaffected Sunnis. They see them as a legitimate resistance which also protects civilians from foreign troops and Shia militia death squads. These days most of the Sunni fighters are Iraqis, and that means the US and Iraqi governments have no choice but to talk to them. Sources say negotiations are under way, but until Sunni fighters feel their role in the future is recognised they are unlikely to give up their arms.
Click here to watch Part One
Part Two - Shia militias
The Mahdi Army is said to have morethan 60,000 militiamen [AFP]The conflict between Iraq's Shia rivals has been ongoing since 2003. The Jaish al-Mahdi, or Mahdi Army, is loyal to Shia leader Muqtada al Sadr. Said to have 60,000 men in its ranks, it is by far the biggest militia in Iraq. Its rival, the Badr organisation, is the military wing of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, previously known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. This influential Shia party was formed in Iran during the presidency of Saddam Hussein and its leaders were exultant after the US invasion.
Click here to watch Part Two
Part Three - Iraq's security forces
In the remote desert areas of Iraq, US soldiers are training Iraqi recruits to form the nation's new army and police force. But outside the cocoon of a training camp, the newly graduated security forces must tackle one of the most challenging environments in the world. The US is currently allied with some tribes in its fight against al-Qaeda. Incorporating Sunnis would ease some of the sectarian tensions. But the main question remains: When will the security forces be really able to deal with the challenges of Iraq?
Click here to watch Part Three
Part Four - The US army
They were supposedly welcomed as liberators who would bring freedom and democracy to Iraq. But the most powerful army in the world was not ready for handmade road-side bombs that have killed hundreds of soldiers so far and maimed thousands more. It blamed all the attacks in these early stages on al-Qaeda and disgruntled members of Saddam's former government. But now, on the eve of the report by General David Petraeus, head of US forces in Iraq, into the success of the recent troop "surge", the US presence in Iraq is already at the heart of the presidential debate in the US and withdrawing or staying has become a national debate.
Click here to watch Part Four
Part Five - Al-Qaeda
The Bush administration is building its new case to stay in Iraq as a war against al-Qaeda. However, it is not the largest group fighting today, nor is it the one that carries out most attacks - only 15 per cent in the first half of 2007 according to the US military. However, it is behind the vast majority of devastating car bombs and suicide attacks which fuel the sectarian war.
Now the fighters have turned against each other. This year has seen Shia infighting on the streets of Iraqi cities such as Karbala and Sunni armed groups fighting to keep al-Qaeda out of their regions. In a series of reports, Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid looks at the new reality of Iraq's many armies.
Part One - Sunni armed groups
Sunni armed groups are a complicated web of alliances of Iraqi nationalists, Islamists, former Iraqi army officers and a few Baathists. For the past four years, the groups have become better organised and more popular among disaffected Sunnis. They see them as a legitimate resistance which also protects civilians from foreign troops and Shia militia death squads. These days most of the Sunni fighters are Iraqis, and that means the US and Iraqi governments have no choice but to talk to them. Sources say negotiations are under way, but until Sunni fighters feel their role in the future is recognised they are unlikely to give up their arms.
Click here to watch Part One
Part Two - Shia militias
The Mahdi Army is said to have morethan 60,000 militiamen [AFP]The conflict between Iraq's Shia rivals has been ongoing since 2003. The Jaish al-Mahdi, or Mahdi Army, is loyal to Shia leader Muqtada al Sadr. Said to have 60,000 men in its ranks, it is by far the biggest militia in Iraq. Its rival, the Badr organisation, is the military wing of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, previously known as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. This influential Shia party was formed in Iran during the presidency of Saddam Hussein and its leaders were exultant after the US invasion.
Click here to watch Part Two
Part Three - Iraq's security forces
In the remote desert areas of Iraq, US soldiers are training Iraqi recruits to form the nation's new army and police force. But outside the cocoon of a training camp, the newly graduated security forces must tackle one of the most challenging environments in the world. The US is currently allied with some tribes in its fight against al-Qaeda. Incorporating Sunnis would ease some of the sectarian tensions. But the main question remains: When will the security forces be really able to deal with the challenges of Iraq?
Click here to watch Part Three
Part Four - The US army
They were supposedly welcomed as liberators who would bring freedom and democracy to Iraq. But the most powerful army in the world was not ready for handmade road-side bombs that have killed hundreds of soldiers so far and maimed thousands more. It blamed all the attacks in these early stages on al-Qaeda and disgruntled members of Saddam's former government. But now, on the eve of the report by General David Petraeus, head of US forces in Iraq, into the success of the recent troop "surge", the US presence in Iraq is already at the heart of the presidential debate in the US and withdrawing or staying has become a national debate.
Click here to watch Part Four
Part Five - Al-Qaeda
The Bush administration is building its new case to stay in Iraq as a war against al-Qaeda. However, it is not the largest group fighting today, nor is it the one that carries out most attacks - only 15 per cent in the first half of 2007 according to the US military. However, it is behind the vast majority of devastating car bombs and suicide attacks which fuel the sectarian war.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Iraq, Iraqi security forces, militants, security, Shia militias, Sunni armed groups, U.S. military
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Tribal leaders of Baghdad district agree to support ISF
Security, Tribal
(Al-Iraqiyah television) - Staff Lieutenant General Abbud Qanbar, commander of operations for the Baghdad security plan, announced on August 16 that tribal leaders in the Al-Saidiyah district of Baghdad have agreed to support Iraqi security forces in the fight against terrorism, Al-Iraqiyah television reported. Qanbar said the willingness of the tribesmen to cooperate is a concrete step toward bringing security to the area. "When we agree with our kinfolk and brothers, we will isolate terrorism and outlaws," Qanbar told reporters. "Our success lies in the support of our brothers, citizens, and the residents of Baghdad for the [Iraqi] armed forces."
Labels: Al-Saidiyah, Iraqi security forces, Staff Lieutenant General Abbud Qanbar, tribal leaders
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Report - evidence some Iraqi Security Forces are committing sectarian violence
Security
(CNN) -- U.S. trainers have been unable to develop an indigenous Iraqi force fully capable of taking over security for the country, according to a congressional report released Wednesday. Training Iraqi forces is key to the administration's plan to "stand down" American forces as the Iraqis "stand up." The $19 billion effort has produced "mixed results," particularly with the Iraqi Police Services, according to the report from the House Armed Service Committee's oversight subcommittee.
"The bottom line is that after three months of studying the U.S. effort to develop the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), we cannot assess the operational capability of these forces," the report said. "We are actually left with more questions than answers." The report says the Department of Defense "cannot report in detail how many of the 346,500 Iraqi military and police personnel that the Coalition trained are operational today."
The report includes 42 recommendations -- most for the Department of Defense and most requiring better reporting on the training effort -- but the subcommittee does not have legislative authority. The full Armed Services Committee must step in for any of the recommendations to take effect.
The report says "there is strong evidence that some [Iraqi Security Forces] are independently committing sectarian violence and other illegal activity;" adding that "the Iraqi Ministries of Defense and Interior are not capable of accounting for, supporting, or fully controlling their forces in the field."
The report was signed by 16 members of the bipartisan subcommittee.
The report also said that the subcommittee experienced difficulties getting information, documents and witnesses from the Department of Defense. "Congress must continue its constitutionally mandated role of oversight, whether or not the Department of Defense wants to participate," Meehan said in remarks included in the report. "The Congress and the American people would be better served if the Department didn't continue its current strategy of obfuscation, delay and denial."
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of congressmen on Wednesday called on the president to reconvene the Iraq Study Group to provide a new assessment of the war in Iraq. The White House should act "as quickly as possible" to bring the Iraq Study Group back, said Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Virginia, who originally crafted the legislation that created the group in March 2006. The 10 members of the Iraq Study Group -- evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats -- spent nearly nine months gathering information and talking to experts about possible strategies for Iraq.
"The bottom line is that after three months of studying the U.S. effort to develop the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), we cannot assess the operational capability of these forces," the report said. "We are actually left with more questions than answers." The report says the Department of Defense "cannot report in detail how many of the 346,500 Iraqi military and police personnel that the Coalition trained are operational today."
The report includes 42 recommendations -- most for the Department of Defense and most requiring better reporting on the training effort -- but the subcommittee does not have legislative authority. The full Armed Services Committee must step in for any of the recommendations to take effect.
The report says "there is strong evidence that some [Iraqi Security Forces] are independently committing sectarian violence and other illegal activity;" adding that "the Iraqi Ministries of Defense and Interior are not capable of accounting for, supporting, or fully controlling their forces in the field."
The report was signed by 16 members of the bipartisan subcommittee.
The report also said that the subcommittee experienced difficulties getting information, documents and witnesses from the Department of Defense. "Congress must continue its constitutionally mandated role of oversight, whether or not the Department of Defense wants to participate," Meehan said in remarks included in the report. "The Congress and the American people would be better served if the Department didn't continue its current strategy of obfuscation, delay and denial."
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of congressmen on Wednesday called on the president to reconvene the Iraq Study Group to provide a new assessment of the war in Iraq. The White House should act "as quickly as possible" to bring the Iraq Study Group back, said Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Virginia, who originally crafted the legislation that created the group in March 2006. The 10 members of the Iraq Study Group -- evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats -- spent nearly nine months gathering information and talking to experts about possible strategies for Iraq.
Labels: Frank Wolf, Iraq Study Group, Iraqi security forces, Iraqi security forces training, U.S
Monday, April 30, 2007
Iraq to proceed with security reconstruction with or without U.S.
Security
(Azzaman) - Iraq will go ahead with its plans to build its own armed forces and reinstate security despite U.S. warnings of timetables and benchmarks, National Security Adviser said. Mowafaq al-Rubai said Iraq’s battle against Qaeda-related groups in Iraq will continue whether the Americans stayed or left.
“The Americans have their timetables and are governed by schedules but these things do not concern us,” he said in an interview. “We will proceed with the building of the armed forces and the institutions of a modern state and revise the constitution. “What others say is not a matter of concern for us. America addresses its own people and we address our own. “They (Americans) say this is the last battle to beat Qaeda and we say to them it is the first battle. We have our schedules and they have theirs,” Rubai said.
He said the government was involved in ‘serious negotiations’ with ‘certain influential armed groups’ and was trying its best to engage them in the political process. Rubai did not say which groups were involved but reiterated there would be no compromise with terrorist groups like Qaeda. He said the security plan now in its third month has ‘achieved a great deal’ despite the surge in car bomb attacks.
Prior to the start of the plan more than 100 bodies were dumped on the streets of Baghdad. “Now the figure has dropped by nearly 90 percent,” he said. “Killing on identity has almost disappeared in Baghdad and this is a victory by itself,” he said. He said the building of concrete walls to isolate and separate certain quarters of Baghdad on sectarian grounds was ‘to protect the people’ and that more such walls will be constructed in the future.
“The Americans have their timetables and are governed by schedules but these things do not concern us,” he said in an interview. “We will proceed with the building of the armed forces and the institutions of a modern state and revise the constitution. “What others say is not a matter of concern for us. America addresses its own people and we address our own. “They (Americans) say this is the last battle to beat Qaeda and we say to them it is the first battle. We have our schedules and they have theirs,” Rubai said.
He said the government was involved in ‘serious negotiations’ with ‘certain influential armed groups’ and was trying its best to engage them in the political process. Rubai did not say which groups were involved but reiterated there would be no compromise with terrorist groups like Qaeda. He said the security plan now in its third month has ‘achieved a great deal’ despite the surge in car bomb attacks.
Prior to the start of the plan more than 100 bodies were dumped on the streets of Baghdad. “Now the figure has dropped by nearly 90 percent,” he said. “Killing on identity has almost disappeared in Baghdad and this is a victory by itself,” he said. He said the building of concrete walls to isolate and separate certain quarters of Baghdad on sectarian grounds was ‘to protect the people’ and that more such walls will be constructed in the future.
Labels: Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, armed groups, Iraq, Iraqi security forces, negotiations, U.S.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Islamic State of Iraq claims capture of 20 Iraqi soldiers
Security
(Al Jazeera) - Al-Qaeda in Iraq has said its fighters have kidnapped 20 Iraqi soldiers and policemen in northeast Baghdad. In an internet statement released on Saturday, the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq said the men would be killed unless the government released all Sunni women held in Iraq's prisons within 48 hours. The group also posted still images showing the purported captives dressed in brown army and blue police uniforms, blindfolded and handcuffed. The movement's claim to have captured the men could not be independently verified.
The group demanded the release of "Muslim Sunni sisters who are in the prisons of the interior" ministry, in the statement posted on a website used by Iraqi armed groups. "The Islamic State of Iraq gives the government of [Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki] 48 hours to meet its demands or it will execute the rule of God on them," it said. The Iraqi government has not yet responded to the group's claim or to its demands.
The group also said the government should hand over to it agents from Iraq's interior ministry who are accused of involvement in the widely publicised alleged rape of a Sunni woman. The alleged rape of the woman known by the pseudonym of Janabi, who appeared in footage broadcast on Arab TV networks saying she had been raped by interior ministry officers, triggered a bitter row at the highest levels in Iraq.
Sunni leaders largely believed her claims, but al-Maliki dismissed them, alleging the rape was invented by Sunni politicians to tarnish the police at the launch of a Baghdad security crackdown. The photos of the 20 men posted on the internet, of various ranks, included a security unit commander, according to the picture of his ministry identification card. The statement did not say when the men were captured. The group, which was formed last year by al-Qaeda's wing in Iraq and several smaller Sunni armed groups, has previously claimed responsibility for mass kidnappings and a series of major attacks.
The group demanded the release of "Muslim Sunni sisters who are in the prisons of the interior" ministry, in the statement posted on a website used by Iraqi armed groups. "The Islamic State of Iraq gives the government of [Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki] 48 hours to meet its demands or it will execute the rule of God on them," it said. The Iraqi government has not yet responded to the group's claim or to its demands.
The group also said the government should hand over to it agents from Iraq's interior ministry who are accused of involvement in the widely publicised alleged rape of a Sunni woman. The alleged rape of the woman known by the pseudonym of Janabi, who appeared in footage broadcast on Arab TV networks saying she had been raped by interior ministry officers, triggered a bitter row at the highest levels in Iraq.
Sunni leaders largely believed her claims, but al-Maliki dismissed them, alleging the rape was invented by Sunni politicians to tarnish the police at the launch of a Baghdad security crackdown. The photos of the 20 men posted on the internet, of various ranks, included a security unit commander, according to the picture of his ministry identification card. The statement did not say when the men were captured. The group, which was formed last year by al-Qaeda's wing in Iraq and several smaller Sunni armed groups, has previously claimed responsibility for mass kidnappings and a series of major attacks.
Labels: abduction, Al Qaeda in Iraq, demands, Iraqi security forces, Islamic State of Iraq, Sabrin al-Janabi
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Iraqi forces to take over Shatt Al-Arab hotel base on April 8
Security
(Al-Iraqiyah) - Iraqi security forces are preparing to assume security control over the southern Iraqi governorate of Al-Basrah, state-run Al-Iraqiyah television reported on April 2. Staff Major General Ali Hammadi, who heads the Emergency Committee in the governorate, told Al-Iraqiyah that the first stage of Operation Iraq Seaport has been launched, adding that security agencies are working to improve their efficiency in Al-Basrah. He anticipated that Iraqi forces will officially be handed control of the Shatt Al-Arab Hotel base on April 8, and after that the larger Al-Shu'aybah base, which is currently used by British forces as a logistical base. Hammadi said Iraqi forces are not operating without the assistance of multinational forces in Al-Basrah.
Labels: Al-Shu'aybah base, Basra, Iraqi security forces, Operation Iraq Seaport, Shatt-el-Arab hotel
