Iraqi forces continually improve

Middle East Newsline ^ | 2005 Aug 31

[Wiz]

BAGHDAD [MENL] -- The U.S. Defense Department has determined that the Iraq Army was demonstrating continuous improvement.

Pentagon officials said Iraqi military and security units have shown steady improvement over the last year. They said the U.S. training and mentoring of the Iraqi military and police began in earnest only in mid-2004.

"The reality is, we've been building an army from scratch for the past year under combat conditions," Brig. Gen. Donald Alston, spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, said. "These forces have come an extraordinary way in a year."

Over the weekend, the United States struck suspected Al Qaida strongholds near the Syrian border. The U.S. military said a safe house that contained more than 50 Al Qaida operatives was struck by aircraft in Husaybah in the Anbar province on Aug. 26.

[Wiz]

Unitil now, there are about 180,000 Iraqi security force members, and there are 91,000 more needed. It shouldn't be more than a year to reach the target, but also there will be additional time tha would have to be spent to train all at an acceptable level.

[Wiz]

ping

[pissant]

Combat conditions are ideal for real training. It will help in the long run to have this experience. The Iraqi army will be a force to be reckoned with by he time we are through!

[b4its2late]

I see the MSM picked up on this story and have splashed it across newspapers and TV screens all over the US......./sarcasm

[golfboy]

Unitil now, there are about 180,000 Iraqi security force members, and there are 91,000 more needed. It shouldn't be more than a year to reach the target, but also there will be additional time tha would have to be spent to train all at an acceptable level.

Senator Biden... paging Senator Biden...
Anyone home?

[Names Ash Housewares]

Heh, This is the one of the most obvious secrets of this war. You almost never hear anyone talk about the large amount of the Iraqi forces that our guys have spent so much time training. Bush constantly says as the Iraqi's stand up, we stand down. But it falls on deaf ears most of the time. Few people realize what is going to happen in the next year. Coalation Camps are already being turned over to the Iraqi's. Slow steady building block progress. Its going to pay off big time.