Iraq training 1,000 new forces per week
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
BAGHDAD — U.S. officials said the Iraqi security forces have more than 212,000 trained and equipped soldiers and police.
They said the military was training and deploying soldiers and police at a rate of nearly 1,000 per week.
Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, said 120 Iraq Army and police battalions have joined the war against Sunni insurgents. Lynch said 25 percent of the battalions were able to take the lead on counter-insurgency operations.
On Oct. 28, the U.S.-led coalition transferred security responsibility for the Diyala province to the Iraq Army, Middle East Newsline reported. The Multi-National Force said 3,000 U.S. soldiers from Task Force Liberty have been replaced by the Iraq Army's 1st Brigade of the 5th Division.
Officials said Iraqi security forces continue to be hampered by poor logistics. But they said Iraqi soldiers and police have been increasingly effective in collecting and processing tactical intelligence, many of them composed of tips from Iraqi civilians.
"The Iraqi 1st Brigade continues to train and equip its forces while providing command and control for battalion-sized operations in eastern Diyala Province," a U.S. military statement said. "The regiment achieved significant success during its operations in eastern Diyala Province. Troopers of the regimental combat team conducted more than 13,000 combat patrols during their eleven months of service."
Officials said 17 bases have been turned over to the Iraq Army. They said the army has been in charge of an entire province as well as a large section of Baghdad.
[On Nov. 19, about 150 Iraqi soldiers and 300 Marines launched Operation Bruins in Ramadi. Officials said the operation was designed to block Sunni insurgency routes and search for weapons caches.]
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Iraq now has more than 100 military and police battalions engaged in battle. Rumsfeld said the security forces were "well respected by the Iraqi people," who have provided increased tips on insurgency activity and whereabouts.
"They're doing a very good job," Rumsfeld said on Nov. 20. "They're growing in numbers and they're growing in competence."
Operation Steel Curtain Concludes Along Iraq-Syria BorderAmerican Forces Press Service
CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq, Nov. 22, 2005 – U.S. and Iraqi forces wrapped up Operation Steel Curtain today near the Iraq-Syria border, military officials here announced.
The 17-day offensive was conducted in the cities of Husaybah, Karabilah and Ubaydi, and was geared toward preventing al Qaeda in Iraq from operating in the Euphrates River Valley and throughout the country's Anbar province, officials noted.
As part of a larger operation called Operation Hunter, Steel Curtain made way for the establishment of a permanent Iraqi army security presence in the Qaim region. It also set the conditions for local citizens to vote in the upcoming Dec. 15 elections, officials said.
Steel Curtain ushered in the first large-scale operational use of the Iraqi army, officials said, employing about 1,000 soldiers in western Anbar province. The Iraqi soldiers conducted detailed clearing missions alongside their coalition counterparts and began establishing permanent bases within these three cities.
"Forces at these outposts will prevent the al Qaeda in Iraq-led terrorists from regaining a presence in these cities and threatening local residents with their murder and intimidation campaign," a coalition spokesman said.
"Desert Protectors," specially trained local Iraqis, were recruited from the Qaim region and worked alongside the Iraqi army and U.S. units throughout the operation.
"Their familiarity with the area and its people was crucial in identifying friend from foe and enabled their Iraqi and coalition partners to better understand the geographical complexities of the region," the spokesman said.
Officials reported that 10 Marines were killed in fighting during Steel Curtain. A total of 139 terrorists were killed and 256 were processed for detention during the operation.
"The porous Iraq-Syria border was identified as a main route for men, material and money to be transited into Iraq," the spokesman said, and the western Euphrates River Valley region was known to be a major artery for al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists.
Iraqi soldiers and U.S. forces moved in on Husaybah the morning of Nov. 5, followed shortly thereafter by Karabilah, Ubaydi and winding up clearing the Ramana region, west of Ubaydi on the northern side of the Euphrates River.
"Iraqi army soldiers and U.S. forces will continue to maintain presence and increase efforts in securing the Iraq-Syria border," the spokesman said.
(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)