BAGHDAD — The United States has stressed the conditions required for
a troop withdrawal from Iraq in 2006.
U.S. officials in Iraq said the timetable for the pullout of 135,000
American soldiers would depend on the state of the Sunni insurgency as well
as the readiness of Iraq's military and
security forces. They said a joint Iraqi-U.S. commission would determine the
requirements for U.S. withdrawal.
Brig. Gen. Donald Alston, spokesman for the Multinational Force, Iraq,
said the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq was based strictly on the security
environment as well as the readiness of Iraqi forces to
conduct independent operations. At a news conference on Thursday, Alston
said a joint commission would establish the conditions required for a U.S.
troop pullout, Middle East Newsline reported.
Officials said the commission, announced on July 24, would set the
parameters to determine the combat capability of Iraqi forces. The panel
would also require that Iraq's Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry
establish logistics to sustain the military and police.
"Combat capability is not just a function of numbers," Alston said. "It
has a subjective quality in terms of the combat seasoning that is going on
with Iraqi security forces, and that's, I think, more of an art — a
subjective assessment — that the leaders are inputting to their
assessments."
Alston was responding to a July 27 statement by Gen. George Casey,
commander of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, who envisioned a substantial
U.S. troop reduction in early 2006. It was the first time a senior U.S.
official or army commander outlined a timetable for withdrawal.
Iraq and the United States have agreed to work for an American troop
withdrawal in 2006, officials said. They said the two countries conduct
joint monthly assessments of the readiness of Iraqi forces.
Alston said the information gathered from these assessments has been
relayed to Iraqi political leaders to help determine future requirements. He
said these assessments were important to ensure the smooth transfer of
authority.
"This is critical we get this right," Alston said. "So we need to be as
self-critical as we can be to continue to assess the readiness."
The Iraq Army grew rapidly in 2005. Officials said the army has eight
ground divisions with 29 brigade headquarters and 101 battalions.
Officials said the army has also deployed a mechanized division with a
brigade headquarters. They said three battalions have been undergoing
training in both Iraq and Jordan.
"The increased numbers and growing capabilities of Iraqi security forces
allow us to continue to put constant pressure on the insurgency," Alston
said.
On Thursday, a senior U.S. intelligence officer warned that Sunni
insurgency groups have enough financing to continue "indefinitely" their
campaign against the U.S.-led coalition and post-Saddam Hussein government.
The Defense Intelligence Agency officer told a House Armed Services
subcommittee that Saddam supporters as well as private donors in the Middle
East were financing the insurgency through Syria.
"We believe terrorist and insurgent expenses are moderate and pose
little significant restraints to armed groups in Iraq," Caleb Temple, the
DIA officer, said. "In particular, arms and munitions costs are minimal —
leaving us to judge that the bulk of the money likely goes toward
international and local travel, food and lodging of fighters and families of
dead fighters; bribery and payoffs of government officials, families and
clans; and possibly into the personal coffers of critical middlemen and
prominent terrorist leaders."
