Iraqi forces 'cannot stand alone'

Thursday, 6 September 2007

Iraq's security forces are not capable of taking over from US troops within the next 18 months, a new report says.

The study by retired US marine General James Jones said Iraq's national police force was ineffective and so rife with sectarianism it should be scrapped.

The Iraqi military showed signs of progress but would not be able to work independently for some time, he said.

The Jones report is the latest in a series to be considered by the US Congress as it debates the Iraq war.

Earlier this week, a report by a non-partisan Congressional watchdog found the Iraqi government was "dysfunctional" and had failed to meet 11 of 18 benchmarks set by the US.

The top US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, are due to report to Congress next week on the progress of the Bush administration's Iraq strategy.

'Not viable'

Gen Jones is to testify before both Senate and House Armed Services Committees on Thursday.

According to advance copies of the report, the 20-member independent panel he led found that Iraq's security forces and police had made "uneven progress".

Its most damning assessment was reserved for Iraq's national police and the interior ministry under which it operates, described by the panel as "a ministry in name only".

"The national police have proven operationally ineffective," the report said.

"Sectarianism in its units undermines its ability to provide security; the force is not viable in its current form.

"The national police should be disbanded and reorganised."

Iraq's interior ministry told Reuters news agency that the issue of sectarianism was being tackled and that the ministry did not agree with the panel's assessment.

"We admit there were some problems before due to sectarian loyalties but this involved just a few people," ministry spokesman Brig-Gen Abdul-Kareem Khalaf told Reuters.

"It was not widespread... it does not reach the level of disbanding the police."

Military 'promising'

The Jones report found that Iraq's military, particularly the army, demonstrated the most improvement and showed promise of becoming a viable, independent security force over time.

However, at present Iraqi forces continue to rely on the US military for support in combat duties, logistics and training.

"The commission assesses that in the next 12 to 18 months there will be continued improvement in their readiness and capability, but not the capability to operate independently," the report said.

"With regard to external dangers, the evidence indicates that the Iraqi Security Forces will not be able to secure Iraqi borders against conventional military threats in the near term."

Defence department spokesman Geoff Morrell said on Wednesday that the US military recognised it might take some time to get the Iraqi forces up to speed, but it believed that its efforts would eventually succeed.

"We've always recognised that this was a long-term project," he said.

"Getting the Iraqi army on its feet and capable of defending the borders of the country independently is not an overnight project."

He said the Pentagon did "not believe it is necessary to disband the national police force".

But, he added: "We also acknowledge there have been real sectarian problems within the national police force. We recognize that. The Iraqi government recognizes that."