Iraqi Military Chief Cites Progress, Challenges -- (Real Progress in Iraq)

American Forces Press Service ^ | By Jim Garamone

[STARWISE]

American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Dec. 12, 2005 – The highest-ranking military officer in Iraq said over the past year his country's armed forces have accomplished "almost a miracle."

Speaking through a translator, Army Gen. Babakir Shawkat Zebari said only one battalion was capable of operating with coalition forces when he became the Iraqi military's chief of staff. Now dozens are taking the lead in the counterinsurgency fight, and many more are operating with coalition forces.

In the west, he said, Iraqi forces now allow the coalition to hold areas. In the past, coalition forces would move into an area, clear out the terrorists and then leave -- hoping local institutions were strong enough to keep the terrorists at arm's length. That did not happen, he said.

Coalition military officials explained that at the time there weren't enough coalition troops to move into an area and leave them there.

But, Babakir said, the added Iraqi battalions now available allow commanders to do that. For example, Iraqi soldiers and police are integral to the strategy in Ramadi and Fallujah and along the Syrian border.

The Iraqi military will be at its full strength of 160,000 at the end of 2006, Babakir said. "So my assumption is that at the end of 2006, we could send half of the coalition soldiers home," he said. "Some people may not agree, but that is my opinion."

Babakir downplayed the danger of a civil war in the country. He said there certainly will not be a civil war "if the Americans stay." The mere existence of the Iraqi military, which is fair to all and contains soldiers from all over the country, is a unifying force.

The general said the Iraqi military should follow the U.S. example and "stay out of politics." The idea that soldiers should be experts in their field and serve their whole country -- not their tribe or city or province or religion -- is important to establish, Babakir said.

The Iraqi military already controls roughly 40 percent of the battlespace in Baghdad, officials said, and Iraqi units are taking over more and more of the fight in other areas of the country.

However, coalition officials stress that it will not be a one-for-one swap. American battalions are far more capable and cover a larger area than Iraqi battalions. But given the steady improvement in Iraqi capabilities, fewer coalition troops will be needed in the coming year.

"In 2006, we will work to establish the building blocks for the rest of the military," Babakir said. The general said he is realistic about the hurdles that lie ahead.

Logistics bases, communications networks, medical facilities and transportation capabilities must still be built.

"It is almost as if you are building a house," Babakir said. "What was there has been demolished and everything from the foundation on up must be rebuilt."

The Iraqi military has had success in training and recruiting. The training establishment is self-sustaining. There are plenty of volunteers for the military, and Iraqi instructors are training them.

The Iraqi military is challenged, however, because officials must build a force with coalition help while fighting the war on terrorism.

The general said the combat arm of the military is established. The Iraqi military has more than 100 battalions; a number of brigades are running operations in various areas of the country; and the Iraqi 6th Division is responsible for an operational area in Baghdad.

While the general said he believes the coalition will be able to cut the number of troops in Iraq in the coming year, Babakir said he does not favor a quick withdrawal of coalition troops. Any coalition troop withdrawal should be gradual, he said, because coalition forces are integral to the success of democracy in Iraq.

If coalition forces leave Iraq, he said, terrorist groups would be free to plan and train for more attacks like Sept. 11, and other attacks in Madrid, Spain; London; and Bali, Indonesia.

Iraq is the main theater in the global war on terrorism, he said. "If tomorrow (the United States) decides to leave, then you will see al Qaeda in your streets," he said. "They will claim that they have defeated you and that they are the ones who won.

Babakir thanked the American people for driving Saddam Hussein from power. "And we feel every American death," he said. "But in fighting terrorism you cannot close your eyes or turn your back to it. Do you think they will leave you alone if you leave Iraq? I think not."

"It would be better for the Americans to fight terrorism in this country than in their own," Babakir said. "And the people of this country are ready to support and assist in this war."

The Iraqi general also said the United States should think about establishing long-term bases in Iraq.

"This is a strategic area, and for your own self-interest you should have bases here," Babakir said. "You would help promote stability. Look at Germany and Japan and South Korea. Look at the turnaround in those countries, and it is all because of America's help and support.

"It would be a great success for America if it can help Iraq be a role model to the region," he said. "We have the capabilities to succeed. We need the time to do it."

Babakir said the people of Iraq are resilient, noting the people of Baghdad lived through eight years of bombing and missile attacks during the Iran-Iraq War. They also persevered in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and during the sanctions that followed.

"We have been through a lot, yet the daily routine of the people continues," he said. "And all the towns of this country are just like that."

He said he sees a gradual improvement in the situation in the country and that all aspects are linked together. As the military provides better security and the number of terrorist attacks drop, people will invest more in their communities, Babakir said.

That investment creates jobs and a sense in the population that they have a stake in the success of the country, the general noted. Then, more Iraqis will cooperate with Iraqi and coalition forces and give tips on terrorists. This allows the military to capture or kill more terrorists and to reinforce security. This is already the model in much of the country, he said.

[STARWISE]

More incredibly good news we never hear from the Lamest Media in the World

USAID Support for Reconstruction and Stability in Najaf and Mosul

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Top Ten USAID Strategic Accomplishments in Iraq

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 7, 2005
1207-05-19
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810

1. Improving Primary Health Care: USAID is helping strengthen essential primary health care services throughout Iraq.

* In 2005 alone, USAID-supported emergency campaigns immunized 98 percent of Iraqi children between 1-5 years old (3.62 million) against measles, mumps, and rubella,

* Also in 2005, USAID immunized 97 percent of Iraqi children under five (4.56 million) against polio.

* In all, USAID partners have trained more than 2,500 primary health care workers to expand access to essential primary health care services.

2. Expanding Access to Electricity: In 2002, Baghdad had access to electricity 24 hours a day; the rest of Iraq was limited to 3-6 hours.

* Currently, all 18 governorates receive nearly 14 hours of electricity daily, an incredible improvement for a country emerging from decades of conflict and little investment.

* USAID efforts have added 1,400 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity to the national electrical grid, expanding access to 4.2 million Iraqis throughout most of Iraq.

3. Providing Potable Water: Many parts of Iraq had no access to or provision of clean potable water. Indeed many of Iraq's waterways were contaminated with refuse and sewage.

* Over 4 million Iraqis who had no clean drinking water in 2002 now have safe, potable water piped to their homes following USAID efforts to refurbish water treatment plants in 15 cities.

* USAID is also providing plant-level operations and maintenance (O&M) training at major water and wastewater plants nationwide to ensure that these plants remain functioning.

4. Restoring Sewage Systems: Before 2003, Iraq's cities suffered from inadequate sewage systems; backed up sewage created pools in neighborhoods or emptied directly into nearby rivers.

* Today, USAID's rehabilitated sewage treatment plants throughout Iraq process a total of 339.7 million gallons daily.

* These plants alone provide 7.2 million urban Iraqis - over a quarter of the national population - access to functioning, waterborne sewage, greatly improving sanitation and contributing to a decrease in waterborne disease.

5. Improving Local Governance and Community Development: Iraqi democracy must prove itself through service delivery and community-based solutions to local problems.

* With USAID assistance, representative provincial and municipal governments are more capable of delivering essential services to their constituents.

* Countrywide, more than 670 community action groups focused on civic education, women's advocacy, and anti-corruption have been supported by USAID.

* Working through local NGOs, USAID has implemented 4,672 quick impact projects throughout Iraq, providing short-term employment and restoration of basic services.

6. Connecting Iraq to the Global Economy: The private sector is the engine for sustainable job creation and economic growth. To help guide policy reform, USAID's Investor Roadmap analyzes constraints to investment.

* Iraq's Investment Promotion Agency was recently established with USAID assistance, and will serve as a resource to international investors.

* USAID worked with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to develop a Competitiveness Study, helping integrate efforts to create a robust private sector that fosters job creation.

* USAID programs assist Iraq's MoF, Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology (COSIT), and Iraq's Central Bank in meeting their International Monetary Fund (IMF) requirements. This $19 million technical assistance effort is expected to return to Iraq $480 million in the IMF Standby Agreement by December 2005 as well as debt forgiveness of $27 billion from the Paris Club by March 2006.

* Working with the MoF, USAID introduced the new dinar currency to promote national unity and a sound functioning monetary policy. Currently, 4.62 trillon new Iraqi dinars are in circulation in Iraq.

7. Expanding Political Inclusion and Expression: USAID assistance has helped prepare Iraq for two national elections, numerous provincial and municipal elections, and the Constitutional Referendum of October 15.

* In preparation for the January 2005 election, USAID helped the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) establish a voter registration system, and worked with the UN on improving balloting procedures.

* USAID-supported NGOs distributed election materials, helped televise debates, and led over 22,000 town meetings to educate Iraqi voters.

* USAID and a local NGO trained over 8,000 election monitors.

* Current efforts are preparing 15,000 elections monitors for the December 15, 2005 elections.

8. Supporting the New Iraqi Constitution: The January 2005 Interim Government election put into place a National Assembly to frame a constitution emphasizing democracy and the rule of law.

* USAID partners provided constitutional specialists to the Drafting Committee while input from over 111,000 national surveys kept the Committee in touch with national sentiment.

* The Iraqi Women's National Coalition, supported by USAID, developed a 10-point statement adopted in the constitution.

* A USAID-supported NGO televised debates and distributed information. Nearly 9,500 monitors, trained by USAID partners, helped ensure a successful constitutional referendum.

9. Transforming Primary Education: USAID assistance has helped Iraq move away from rote learning methodology in decrepit, unsanitary classrooms to interactive learning in rehabilitated buildings.

* Since 2003, USAID has rehabilitated nearly 3,000 schools.

* Over 20 million new textbooks have been supplied by USAID (8.6 million) and UNESCO (12 million).

* By 2006, more than 133,000 primary school teachers - a third of Iraq's educators in all - will have received training and technical assistance.

* Already, the most recent primary school enrollment numbers show a 19 percent increase from pre-war levels.

10. Restoring Excellence in Higher Education: The USAID Higher Education and Development (HEAD) Program brings together five American and 10 Iraqi universities to help reestablish academic excellence in Iraq's higher education system.

* Since January 2004, more than 1,500 Iraqi faculty and students have participated in workshops, trainings, conferences, and courses in Iraq, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. * University facilities -libraries, computer and science laboratories, lecture halls, and buildings - have been rehabilitated at colleges throughout the country. * A mini-grant program supports new, innovative research throughout the country. In addition, books and electronic resources have been provided to university libraries.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years. For more information on USAID's Iraq program, please visit www.usaid.gov/iraq.

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God Bless the brave Iraqis, who will be risking death for the privilege of voting for their freedom, AND PLEASE

[Marine_Uncle]

Great post. Thanks. Shame it could not have been posted earlier in the evening US time. More folks may have responded.

[hsalaw]

Thanks for the great post. This is good advice to the Iraqis: "The general said the Iraqi military should follow the U.S. example and "stay out of politics." The idea that soldiers should be experts in their field and serve their whole country -- not their tribe or city or province or religion -- is important to establish, Babakir said." It may take them awhile to achieve it, but good counsel, nonetheless. After all, it's taken us 200 years to have the very best military in the whole world. Prayers for our troops and the success of their mission.

[hsalaw]

Not too late in California. This is the kind of information that is so much more helpful than anything the old media spews.

[nopardons]

Great thread! :-)

[Rembrandt]

This is very bad news - if you're a Dimocrat in the U.S. Success is just not allowed, after all the U.S. is just a bunch of terrorists (per J F'n K) and hated by the Iraqis (Murtha) and should begin leaving on December 15 (Feinstein). After all, (the U.S.) can't win in Iraq (Howard Dean).

[STARWISE]

Thanks. We've GOT to spread the good news so that at least some of the American public hear the truth .. all that our brave troops are doing to improve life for the Iraqis at their great risk, and all that the Iraqis are risking for what we take for granted: freedom to vote.

The American press is purposely skewing the real story, and this is a momentous and groundbreaking week in Iraq. Prayers for all for this election. God Bless George W. Bush .. a man with vision, patience and perseverence, and God Bless Our Brave Troops.

[nopardons]

That's why I'm sending this out to EVERYONE I know. :-)

And a big AMEN, to all you just wrote.

[STARWISE]

;) My pleasure. THANK YOU .. for getting out the good news.

[nopardons]

Welcome! :-)

I have always sent the good stuff posted to FR to a somewhat large group of people. It's the ONLY way nonFREEPERS get the news that the MSM refuses to talk about.

[Marine_Uncle]

"Not too late in California. This is the kind of information that is so much more helpful than anything the old media spews."
You got that right. They need time, and surely GWB will see to it that they get it. As for permenent bases, now it comes from an official Iraqi staff generals mouth. I knew it was a matter of time before we would hear such utterances. We got a permenant allie in the region if all goes according to plan.
Getting late and I got to hit the sack. But just think how well this can work out. A staunch allie in the heart of the ME, that will allow for us to maintain low key bases.
Of course this general along with many of his cohorts realize they need us in place to continue to build their military back better then it was under Saddam. No use fooling anyone. They are going to want the heavy ground armor and airforce etc.. So this time around it can be the USA that takes the lead. At any rate I gotta hit the sack have a good one.

[hsalaw]

Thanks, and you too.