BAGHDAD — The U.S. military is now manning counter-insurgency operations primarily with Iraqi soldiers
and police.
Officials said the U.S.-led coalition has ensured that major operations
as well as routine patrols employ mostly Iraqi personnel. They said U.S.
soldiers remain a major element in planning and supporting these
operations.
The latest Iraqi mission was entitled Operation Swarmer, which has
sought to uproot insurgency strongholds around Samara, 100 kilometers north
of Baghdad. Officials said more than 60 percent of the troops in the
search-and-destroy operation have been Iraqis, with U.S. soldiers providing
backup both in the air and on the ground. So far, light resistance has been
reported, Middle East Newsline reported.
Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, deputy commander of the coalition, said Iraqis
would be increasingly employed in military operations over the next few
months. He said that by this summer the coalition intends to assign security
responsibility to the Iraqi military and police for 75 percent of the
country.
Operation Swarmer, which includes at least 50 helicopters, has been
conducted in a 160-kilometer area. Officials said the operation reflected
enhanced Iraqi military capability.
"Had we tried to accomplish a mission like this 11 months ago, it would
have been primarily U.S. forces," Chiarelli said. "But in this case — I
think you've all seen the numbers — is we have primarily Iraqi forces
supported by U.S. and coalition forces."
Chiarelli said Iraqi security forces have progressed tremendously over
the last year. He said the Iraq Army "did a phenomenal job in providing
security around the country following the Samara bombing [on Feb. 22]."
"The Iraqi army is increasingly taking the lead in operations and taking
over responsibility for battlespace," Chiarelli said.
Iraqi troops have also taken the lead in another operation, entitled
Scales of Justice. The operation, which has taken place over the last week,
was designed to reinforce security measures around Baghdad, struck by daily
suicide car bombings.
"We're finding Iraqi units, with our support, can be used in just about
any operation we do in a counterinsurgency role," Chiarelli said. "This is a
force we have built and the Iraqis have built for that counterinsurgency
fight, and I think they're particularly well-prepared, well-trained, and
have the ability to do that in just about any area."
U.S. Central Command chief Gen. John Abizaid said that despite Baghdad's
success the U.S. military has not drafted a schedule for American troop
reductions in Iraq. He said the Iraqi police still require significant
improvement.
Retired Gen. Richard Myers, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, said Iraqi troops have demonstrated their skills in air assault
operations. Myers said the Iraqi military and police have succeeded in
remaining unified in the face of sectarian violence.
"One of the things we can take heart in is how the Iraqi forces have
responded to this," Myers said in a television interview. "One of the things
I take away watching this is that Iraqi troops are now at the point in their
training where they can participate in what we consider in the U.S. forces a
fairly sophisticated operation, and that is air assault."
