Iraqi, Coalition Forces Redouble Baghdad Security Efforts
20 July 2006
Amid ongoing violence, coalition spokesman highlights operational successes
Washington – Efforts to secure Baghdad are central to Iraq’s future, but will take months to implement fully, says a top coalition spokesman.
In a July 20 Baghdad press briefing on the first 30 days of “Operation Together Forward,” Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s initiative to improve security in the capital, U.S. Army Major General William Caldwell said that Iraqi authorities and their coalition advisers continually review and adjust their security plans for the capital region and are redoubling their efforts after a “tough week” of bombings, murders and kidnappings citywide.
Recent days have seen a surge in violence in the Iraqi capital, including an attack on a marketplace in Mahmudiyah that killed 42 Iraqis and injured 33 and a suicide bomber who detonated a minivan full of explosives in Kufa, killing 53 and wounding 100 more. With reports of rising numbers of kidnappings and reprisal attacks between Iraq’s Shi’a and Sunni communities, many observers have questioned the effectiveness of efforts to keep the peace.
But according to Caldwell, Iraqi and coalition forces remain firm in their resolve. “We will do whatever it takes to bring down the level of violence in Baghdad,” he said.
IRAQI SECURIY FORCES MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Of Iraq’s 18 provinces, Caldwell said, four continue to experience regular attacks by insurgents and terrorists – Baghdad, al-Anbar, Diyala and Salauddin. Within Baghdad, he added, nearly half of the attacks have been concentrated in five neighborhoods since the start of “Operation Together Forward.” (See related article.)
The most remarkable development in the first month, said Caldwell, is the increasing effectiveness and independence demonstrated by the Iraqi security forces.
Approximately 51,000 personnel are engaged in operations across the capital, including 21,000 local Iraqi police, 13,000 national police, and 8,500 Iraqi army personnel -- all supported by 7,200 coalition forces. On an average day, forces conduct 700 patrols in Baghdad and operate 600 security checkpoints.
Caldwell praised the Iraqi forces’ success in responding to tips from area residents, as well their skill coordinating, communicating, and sharing intelligence, which he called remarkable for a force that is only three years old. They have demonstrated these skills in a string of successes, he said, including the captures of would-be suicide bombers and several gangs of kidnappers, with one group operated by corrupt elements within the Iraqi police force.
By cleaning up corruption within their own ranks, Iraqi police demonstrate an increasing understanding that “no one is above the law,” Caldwell said.
While terrorists have still succeeded in mounting attacks in the city, he said, many more would have occurred without these concerted Iraqi security efforts. In the last month, 92 Iraqi police and soldiers were killed in action and 444 others wounded while on duty. Their sacrifice demonstrates Iraqis' commitment to defending their country from terrorists he said.
Caldwell said that Iraqi authorities and their coalition advisers are considering several approaches to improving security in the capital, including the adoption of techniques utilized by forces in Ramadi that are proving successful in curbing the insurgency. They include forging closer ties with the community and establishing networks of joint combat outpost and patrol stations. (See related article.)
Caldwell also quoted from a joint statement issued yesterday by U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. Army General George W. Casey, commander of the Multi-National Force - Iraq, condemning recent attacks against civilians and pledging to target both terrorists and armed groups seeking retribution.
But true security, said Caldwell, will not come from military operations. In his view, after several months of intense effort by the military, effective leadership from local governments and clergy to facilitate dialogue among Iraq’s communities will ultimately set the new Iraq on the path to peace. (See related article.)
A transcript, as well as a video link of Caldwell’s briefing is available from the Department of Defense Web site.
For more information, see Iraq Update.
(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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