BAGHDAD – The Iraq Army has assumed control over the toughest area
of the nation's capital.
The 40th Iraqi National Guard Brigade now has security responsibility over much of Baghdad, including Haifa
Street, regarded as the stronghold of the Saddam Hussein-sponsored
insurgency.
"They [Iraqi units] are a well-trained force, they speak the language,
they require no interpreters, they know the neighborhoods, and most
importantly, they know the culture," Maj. Gen. Peter Chiarelli,
commander of Task Force Baghdad and the 1st Calvary Division, said. "They are proving
exceedingly well-equipped in
many, many ways, to handle the situations we have in Baghdad today."
"It is our time to take the liberty and democracy given to us on a
golden plate," Brig. Gen. Jaleel Khalaf Shwail, the commander of the Iraqi
brigade, said.
Officials said the brigade would focus many of its 2,800 soldiers in
the effort to pacify Haifa Street, the target of numerous U.S. military
operations. They said the brigade would increase intelligence activities in
an
attempt to identify and target insurgency leaders.
Officials said the Iraqi brigade would work closely with Iraqi police on
Haifa Street and the surrounding area. They said the military would maintain
a presence in high-risk areas and enable police to conduct patrols and
restore order to the street.
If the Iraqi brigade proves capable of maintaining security, the
rest of Baghdad would be handed over to the Iraqi military in 2005,
officials said. They said the handover of Baghdad and its suburbs would be
conducted in several phases.
[On Monday, at least 105 people were killed in a suicide car bombing in
Hila south of Baghdad. Many of the casualties had been waiting for medical
treatment at a hospital.]
The 40th Brigade has been trained in counter-insurgency operations by
the U.S. Army's 256th Brigade Combat Team. The Iraqi brigade has been
equipped with armored personnel carriers and heavy weaponry.
"Americans trained us very well," Khalaf said."When they give us a
direct responsibility, it means we are at a level that we can control
ourselves."
The Iraqi Army's 305th Battalion has been assigned two mid-size
sectors in Baghdad. Officials said training of the battalion took about a
year and that the unit proved itself during the Jan. 30 elections in Iraq.
"Our unit has come a long way over the past year and our
responsibilities have increased accordingly," 1st Lt. Yarub
Al Taweed, a platoon leader at the 305th, said. "When we formed the unit, we
didn't have vehicles or armor, and now we've got [body] armor with plates,
trucks and heavy weapons. We've had a lot of success on patrols because of
our training, but mostly because we know the areas, we know the people and
speak the language."
Officials said the U.S. military would continue to support the Iraqi
40th Brigade for special missions. They said the United States would monitor
and mentor the Iraqi unit.
"We also leave seven strong battalions of the Iraqi army, which are
patrolling the streets of Baghdad today," Chiarelli said. "They
improve daily, and their strength has grown to a point the 40th Brigade has
control of a sector in Baghdad."
Chiarelli said the U.S. transfer of authority to Iraqi forces would not
hurt counterinsurgency missions. He said the Iraqi forces, despite inferior
equipment, maintain advantages over the well-equipped and better-trained
U.S. forces.
