U.S. troops in Iraq: Out of sight; Not out of mind
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
BAGHDAD — U.S. military units have largely disappeared from public view in Iraq. As a result, the American military presence has been confined to base, with soldiers spending hours working out in the gym.
The U.S. military has ended patrols as of June 30, the deadline for its withdrawal from Iraqi cities.
Iraqi officials say the arrangement is working. Some U.S. officers have reported tensions related to the movement of U.S. convoys.
U.S. combat vehicles have been seen in Baghdad late at night as part of convoys for the delivery of troops and equipment.
"We would like to assure the Iraqi people and our friends that our security forces are now ready and now have the capacity in planning and executing operations in the cities without the help of U.S. combat forces," Iraqi Lt. Gen. Ali Gheidan Majid said. "Now we don't need the American forces, not just in Baghdad, but even in the provinces."
U.S. officers present a different picture. They report rising tension with their Iraqi counterparts, particularly regarding the movement of U.S. convoys.
"The rules are so vague they can be read any way you want," U.S. Army Lt. Col. Drake Jackson, a liasion with the Federal Police, said.
Officials said the Iraq Army and Federal Police have not made any request for joint U.S. patrols since June 30. They said U.S. advisers and technicians operate in closed bases to ensure a low-profile American military presence.
The biggest change has been seen in Baghdad. The Iraqi Federal Police, formerly the National Police Force, has taken over most of the checkpoints in the Iraqi capital.
Unlike the U.S. military, the Federal Police patrols largely without body armor or armored personnel carriers. Often a patrol consists of several officers with AK-47 assault rifles in a Chevy pickup truck.
Officials said the movement of U.S. military forces and convoys has been sharply restricted since June 30. After several confrontations, they said, the U.S. military agreed to request Iraqi permission for any movement within cities.
In these bases, Iraqi troops undergo training by U.S. Army and Marine Corps personnel in everything from combat skills, maintenance and operating command and control networks.
"Inside the cities, all the American movement is under coordination with the Iraqi security forces, and there is no problem," Majid said.
The U.S. officers have reported numerous difficulties, including confrontations, with Iraqi police since June 30. They said personnel at the Iraqi checkpoints often hamper the passage of U.S. convoys.
The Iraqi-U.S. tension has been greatest in the Sunni province of Diyala, long regarded as a stronghold of Al Qaida. In July 2009, the Iraqi government ordered the halt to all U.S. troop movement in the province north of Baghdad.
A senior U.S. Army officer, Col. Timothy Reese, has submitted a memorandum in which he warned of violence between American and Iraqi forces. Reese asserted that the U.S. military was no longer wanted in Iraq and urged a complete pullout by August 2010.
"The potential for Iraqi on U.S. violence is high now and will grow by the day," Reese said.