By Andrew Gray
Reuters, 07 December 2006
WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. military commander warned on Thursday against rushing the training of Iraqi security forces, a day after a top advisory panel recommended a substantial boost to the effort within the next year.
The bipartisan Iraq Study Group suggested increasing the number of U.S. trainers embedded with Iraqi units to 10,000 to 20,000 from 3,000 to 4,000 now and a switch in the primary focus of U.S. forces to training from combat operations.
Maj. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division that prepares teams of U.S. troops to embed with Iraqi forces, said he could boost his operations with more resources but Iraqi units also needed to gain experience.
"This is experience that sometimes only time can bring," he told the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.
"I think we're all interested in being faster but we must also be careful not to make it so fast that it would put units in harm's way before they are ready," he said.
Ham said the failure of an ill-prepared Iraqi unit in battle would have consequences not just for those troops.
"That undermines the confidence not only of the unit but undermines the confidence of the government and of the people in their security forces," he told Reuters after the hearing.
Some lawmakers expressed frustration the training effort had not been quicker and more effective since U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein in April 2003.
"I think time is of the essence and here we are 3 1/2 years into this effort and now looking at ... training their forces," said Ike Skelton, a Democrat from Missouri who will take over the chairmanship of the committee next month.
"Where have we been for the last 3 1/2-plus years?" he asked.
Democrats won control of both houses of Congress in elections last month due largely to anger over the Iraq war, in which more than 2,900 U.S. troops and at least tens of thousands of Iraqis have died.
'EVENT-DRIVEN'
The U.S. military has some 135,000 troops in Iraq, battling sectarian killing, insurgent attacks and other violence.
U.S. commanders say they have trained more than 300,000 members of the Iraqi security forces but have been unable to withdraw their own troops due to the high levels of violence.
U.S. generals testifying on Thursday were asked whether trainers embedded with Iraqi forces believed those units could handle the security of their country within 15 months.
"My honest answer to that is the enemy gets a vote in this, so I'd say it's event-driven rather than time-driven," said Marine Corps Maj. Gen. George Flynn, who oversees efforts to prepare Marines for embedding with Iraqi units.
The Iraq Study Group has suggested all U.S. combat brigades could be gone from Iraq by the first quarter of 2008, except protecting U.S. troops remaining in advisory or other roles.
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Citation: Andrew Gray. "Don't rush training of Iraqi forces - US commander," Reuters, 07 December 2006.
Original URL: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07275282.htm
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