12 April 2004
Abizaid Says Coalition Not Targeting Iraqi Civilians
U.S. forces seek to capture or kill al-Sadr, general says
By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Security Affairs Writer
Washington -- U.S. Army General John Abizaid says American military forces are not intentionally targeting Iraqi civilians as some Arab media reports have alleged.
Abizaid, commander of the U.S. Central Command (which has operational control for Iraq), told reporters in Baghdad April 12 that U.S. military forces do not target civilians. "We absolutely do not do that, and I think everybody knows that," he said, adding that the Middle East television broadcasters al-Jazeera and al-Arabiyah do not reflect that fact in their coverage.
He singled out al-Jazeera for inaccurate and dishonest reporting, saying: "it is absolutely clear that American forces are doing their very best to protect civilians" while still going after legitimate military targets in Fallujah.
While providing an overview of the current security situation in Iraq, Abizaid acknowledged that his forces have experienced "a tough week of fighting."
In response to a reporter's question about the performance of Iraqi security forces, the general said some "did very well and some of them did not." The fact that some units of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC) and the Iraqi police did not stand up against Muslim cleric Muqtaba al-Sadr's private militia in southern Iraq "was a great disappointment to us," Abizaid said. Elsewhere however, in and around Fallujah, there were several Iraqi units that put in "strong performances," he noted.
The new Iraqi Army will perform better once an Iraqi chain-of-command is well established, the commander said. Until such chain-of-commands are created -- running from the top of the Interior and Defense Ministries and extending through the ranks -- "it's going to be tough to get them to perform at the level we want," Abizaid said.
Army Lieutenant General Richard Sanchez, who answered questions alongside Abizaid, said it will take time "to stand up credible and capable Iraqi security forces" that can assume responsibility for internal and external security missions. To accomplish this, the U.S. military will still be training Iraqi security forces even after the June 30 transfer of political control from the Coalition Provisional Authority, he said.
Abizaid acknowledged that ICDC units are not being trained and equipped as swiftly as he had hoped, but he pointed out that it does take time to move fledgling security institutions from zero to 200,000 men. Efforts to offset ICDC inexperience are being made by assigning U.S. Special Forces to help mentor new Iraqi Army units, he said.
Abizaid also said it is imperative to draw more former senior Iraqi military leaders into the new Iraqi security structure. In the coming days, he said, a large number of former officers will be appointed to key positions in the Ministry of Defense, the Joint Staff and to field commands.
On the issue of whether or not additional U.S. military forces are needed in Iraq, Abizaid said he had asked for approximately two more combat brigades.
But the general emphasized that Iraqis must solve their country's security problems themselves and not depend on American armed forces to do it. He counseled patience as security institutions are established and led by Iraqis. Ultimately, he predicted, Iraqi security services "will become the bulwark against terrorism and anti-democratic forces."
Iraq's security problems cannot be solved solely by force or by political action of a single party, Abizaid said. "There is not a purely U.S. military solution to any of the particular problems. ... [T]here may be combinations of Iraqi and American solutions to the Sadr (or) ... the Fallujah problem," he said. It may be a combination of military and political action taken by the Iraqi, American and coalition forces, the general said, "that will ultimately work toward (achieving) a more secure environment."
Asked about the situation in Fallujah, Sanchez said there is a tenuous cease-fire in place. "We suspended our offensive operations, initially, to allow some discussions to occur and for some humanitarian assistance provided by the Iraqi government to get in" to the non-combatants, he said. Negotiations will not be attempted, he added, until there has been a sustained period of stability.
Sanchez said the situation in other Iraqi cities such as Kut and Nasiriyah has been stabilized and al-Sadr's forces are no longer in control. But the cleric's militia still has a presence in the holy city of Karbala and remains in control in Najaf.
Asked about the intent of the arrest warrant issued for al-Sadr, Abizaid said the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) wants to bring the cleric to justice for his alleged role in the murder last year of another cleric in Najaf. He said military force is being employed to help the IGC achieve its intent. "The mission of the U.S. forces is to kill or capture Muqtaba al-Sadr," he said.
Asked about external interference in Iraq, Abizaid said both Iran and Syria have carried out "unhelpful actions." But the situation is very complicated, he said. What is needed is for all of the countries around Iraq to exert a calming influence and try to assist Iraq as it moves toward sovereignty, he added.
Asked about Americans who are now missing in Iraq, Sanchez said two U.S. soldiers and seven employees with Halliburton's Kellogg, Brown & Root subsidiary are unaccounted for since their convoy was attacked last week in the vicinity of Abu-Ghraib.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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