The U.S. military has concluded that it is no longer
the main target of the insurgency war in Iraq.
"Those on the front lines are not U.S. soldiers, rather Iraqi troops,"
an official said. "American soldiers participate in fire support and air
reconnaissance. Most of the time, they are not directly involved in the
fighting."
Officials said that in March U.S. military deaths in Iraq dropped for a
fifth straight month. They said Iraqi casualties remained heavy, Middle East Newsline reported.
The U.S. casualties reached 96 in October 2005. In March, 29
U.S. soldiers died, the lowest toll since February 2004.
Officials said that over the last six months the nature of the
insurgency war in Iraq has changed. They said the main targets of the war
have shifted from U.S. troops to Iraqi security forces.
Officials said Sunni insurgents have mostly targeted Iraqi forces. They
said Sunni-Shi'ite violence has also taken a heavy toll.
"He's [Iraqi insurgent] also turned his attacks against the Iraqi
security forces, because he sees them as his primary threat, to derail a
democratic process," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the spokesman for the U.S.-led
coalition, said.
[On Monday, the London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat reported that Al Qaida has
replaced Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi as commander-in-chief in Iraq. The
Saudi-owned daily said Osama Bin Laden has appointed Iraqi national Khadifa
Azzam political chief to replace Al Zarqawi, a Jordanian. Al Zarqawi would
continue to serve as Al Qaida's military commander in Iraq.]
Officials said a leading reason for the drop in U.S. military casualties
has been the foiling of insurgency bombings. In March, they said, about half
of the 602 improvised explosive devices were detected and defused before
they could be detonated near U.S. troops.
The Iraqi military and police have reached nearly 245,000 troops,
officials said. They said Iraqi troops would be in control of 75 percent of
the country by the end of 2006.
Maj. Gen. James Thurman, commanding general of the Multinational
Division in Baghdad, said 32,000 Iraqi soldiers and police have been
integrated with 29,000 coalition troops in his command. The Baghdad command
includes the provinces of Babil, Karbala and Najaf.
"What I would tell you is the Iraqi security forces' capability is
getting better," Thurman said. "And I attribute a lot of the decline in our
fatalities [to] the alertness and the training levels of our soldiers."
Thurman said seven Iraqi brigades and 18 battalions control their
battlespace in the Baghdad area. He said an additional three brigades, which
include 11 battalions, would soon assume security responsibility.
"The Iraqi security forces in Multinational Division Baghdad are
succeeding in their mission," Thurman said. "We are setting the conditions
for stability and security in Baghdad, and this is the decisive period in
the campaign as Iraq transitions to self-governance."