BAGHDAD — Iraq's military and security forces have expanded their
responsibility in the Sunni Triangle.
U.S. officials said the Iraq Army has been assigned new security
responsibility in the Sunni Triangle, the heart of the Iraqi insurgency. The
officials said the Iraqi forces have replaced U.S. combat units in some of
the worst-hit areas of the insurgency.
In April, Iraqi army brigades were provided responsibility in portions
of three insurgency hotspots in northern Iraq, Middle East Newsline reported. Officials said they included
Faluja, Mosul and Tikrit.
"The security responsibility is for limited areas in these cities, but
the result has been the thinning of U.S. forces," an official said.
In Baghdad, the Iraq Army's 40th Brigade has been assigned security
responsibility for some of the toughest areas of the Iraqi capital. They
were said to have included Sadr City and Haifa Street.
"Iraqi military forces have taken over many duties formerly performed by
coalition forces," a U.S. military report said.
On Monday, U.S. and Iraqi troops launched their biggest operation in
Baghdad in more than a month. Nearly 1,000 Iraqi and U.S. soldiers raided
the Rashid neighborhood and detained 65 suspected insurgents. There were no
casualties reported.
As of April 12, Iraqi military and security forces numbered about
153,000. About 67,000 forces belonged to the army, 521 in the navy and 186
in the air force.
The Interior Ministry reported 56,000 trained and equipped police and
highway patrolmen. Officials said another 30,000 officers have been
comprised of civil intervention forces, border police and police commandos.
Officials said the military and security forces would significantly
expand over the next months. They said that between 1,500 and 3,000 new
members of the security forces enter active duty each week.
