BAGHDAD — Iraq has raised the prospect that half of the U.S.-led
coalition could be withdrawn by the end of 2006.
Iraqi officials said Iraqi security
forces would reach 300,000 in another year, with numerous units capable of
independent operations.
Iraq Army commander Gen. Babakir Shawkat Zebari said dozens of
battalions were capable of taking the lead in counter-insurgency missions, Middle East Newsline reported.
He said the Iraqi military would be at its full strength of 160,000 at the
end
of 2006.
"So my assumption is that at the end of 2006, we could send half of the
coalition soldiers home," Zebari told a briefing in Baghdad on Monday. "Some
people may not agree. But that is my opinion."
This was the first time, a senior Iraqi commander detailed the extent of
a prospective U.S. military withdrawal. By 2006, Britain and the United
States would comprise the only two major military contingents in Iraq.
The Defense Department plans to begin a withdrawal of troops immediately
after the Dec. 15 elections for the National Assembly. The withdrawal was
expected to reduce the current deployment of 160,000 American troops to
about 135,000 by March 2006.
But Iraqi officials said the U.S. troop withdrawal could accelerate in
mid- and late 2006 with the increase in the Iraqi military and police
presence and capability. They said Iraqi forces were taking responsibility
for Iraqi provinces, including part of the Anbar province.
"It would be a great success for America if it can help Iraq be a role
model to the region," Babakir said. "We have the capabilities to succeed. We
need the time to do it."
Babakir said Iraqi soldiers and police have been deployed in such
hardcore insurgency strongholds as Faluja and Ramadi. He said Iraqi troops
have also been patrolling the 600-kilometer Syrian border.
A key test of the Iraqi military has been Baghdad. Officials said the
army's Sixth Division controls about 40 percent of the capital and has been
instrumental in the reduction in car bombings over the last month.
"In 2006, we will work to establish the building blocks for the rest of
the military," Babakir said. "It is almost as if you are building a house.
What was there has been demolished and everything from the foundation
on up must be rebuilt."
Officials said a key challenge for Iraq would be the establishment of
logistics bases, communications networks, medical facilities and
transportation capabilities. They said the army must also improve training
and develop an effective officer corps.
Still, Babakir warned against a hasty U.S. retreat. He said this would
turn Iraq into a haven for Al Qaida and facilitate attacks in Europe.
"If tomorrow it [the United States] decides to leave, then you will see
Al Qaida in your streets," Babakir said. "They will claim that they have
defeated you and that they are the ones who won."
The general also urged the United States to consider establishing
long-term military bases in Iraq. So far, the Bush administration has denied
such intentions.
"This is a strategic area, and for your own self-interest you should
have bases here," Babakir said. "You would help promote stability. Look at
Germany and Japan and South Korea. Look at the turnaround in those
countries, and it is all because of America's help and support."
