Posted on 10/10/2006 4:53:33 PM PDT by SandRat
WASHINGTON — The reconciliation plan announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Oct. 2 enables Iraqi citizens from all political groups to hold their security forces responsible and to take responsibility for creating peace and tolerance within their own neighborhoods, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said Oct. 4.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, Multi-National Force – Iraq spokesman, said in a news conference that the plan calling for the creation of joint committees throughout Baghdad, made up of clerics, tribal sheiks, representatives from all political blocs, and the armed forces, is aimed at ending internal battles that were preventing the unity Iraq so desperately needs.
“The frank dialogue that went into the development of this plan shows a concerted effort by all sects to reduce the sectarian violence,” Caldwell said. “Reconciliation among Iraqis is ultimately what will quell this needless bloodshed.”
On the local and national levels, Iraqi leaders are learning what self-governance means and are improving their capabilities to serve the needs of the citizens, Caldwell said. Provincial reconstruction teams made up of Coalition forces are assisting local governments and teaching them how to develop governance capacity, promote increased security and rule of law, achieve political and economic development, and meet the basic needs of their populations.
“Since the fall of Saddam (Hussein), local governance has taken on a whole new meaning here in Iraq,” he said. “Iraqis are clearly focused on improving their quality of life and working toward a brighter future.”
As local governance improves, the Iraqi Security Forces continue to improve, Caldwell said. This week, one brigade and three battalions of the Iraqi Army assumed the lead in their areas of operation, bringing the total of Iraqi units in the lead to six Iraqi Army division headquarters, 30 brigades and 89 battalions, he said. Of the 110 bases that Coalition forces have occupied since 2003, 52 have been turned over to Iraqi control, he added.
In September, Iraqi and Coalition forces killed more than 110 terrorists and detained more than 520 suspected terrorists in 164 operations, Caldwell said. Based on information received from a recently detained al-Qaida member,
Coalition forces detained a former driver and personal assistant of Abu Ayyoub al- Masri, the purported leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, along with 31 others during a series of raids in the Baghdad area Sept. 28.
Intelligence indicates the individual detained participated in the 2005 bombing of two hotels in Baghdad that killed a total of 16 people and injured 65 others, Caldwell said.
He also noted that the Iraqi police continue to improve. Earlier this summer, Multi-National Force – Iraq began phase one of a national police assessment program called “Quick Look,” which was designed to assess each battalion’s capability and readiness.
Quick Look assesses equipment status, personnel and weapons accountability, battalion facilities, overall unit discipline and current combat capabilities. Phase one has ended, Caldwell said, and the Coalition has initiated phase two, which focuses on leader and police transformational training.
Transformational training is a three week training program focused on leader training, civil policing skills and training on key collective tasks required at the small-unit level, Caldwell said. Key blocks of instruction include: rule of law; policing a democracy; police role in counterinsurgency operations; human rights; community policing; and a platoon level police situational training exercise.
By summer of 2007, all Iraqi national police units should have completed this training, according to Caldwell.
Quick Look has also brought to light some national police units that are not up to the government’s standards and that need to be retrained, Caldwell said. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced Oct. 5 that the 8th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division is being recalled to go through intensive training in antimilitia and anti-sectarian violence operations.
“This brigade’s past performance has not demonstrated the level of professionalism sought by the Ministry of Interior,” Caldwell explained.
He stressed that while some units within the police force clearly need retraining, others have proven to be very competent and professional units.
“The transition from tyranny to democracy is definitely long and very difficult,” he said. “Coalition forces continue to stand behind the government as it deals with tough decisions that lay ahead, and with the Iraqi Security Forces as they continue to grow in both quality and quantity.”
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