PRESS CONFERENCE: Maj. Gen. Bergner, Iraqi Maj. Gen. al-Askari: Jan. 30, 2008
Multi-National Force-Iraq
Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner's opening statement:
Good afternoon and Assalamu 'Alaikum.
It’s a pleasure to be joined by my friend, Major General Mohammad al-Askari, spokesman for Iraq’s Ministry of Defense.
The Multi-National Force works closely with the Ministry of Defense and we have great respect for the courage and leadership of those serving there under the leadership of Minister Abdul Qadir.
The magnitude of the tasks the Ministry of Defense is simultaneously taking on bears mentioning: they are recruiting and training new soldiers, building institutional capabilities and processes, integrating new equipment and technologies and they are doing all this even as they are courageously fighting terrorists and expanding security for the Iraqi people.
I want to update you on a couple of recent operations that have taken place as part of Phantom Phoenix, and then I’ll turn to Major General al-Askari, who will give you a first-hand account of the Ministry’s current efforts.
Operational Update
One of the reasons progress has been made is the increasing courage of the Iraqi people to reject violence from their neighborhoods, work more closely with security forces, and indeed even place themselves in harm’s way to help secure their communities.
One sign of that progress is Iraqi and Coalition forces now find and clear more than half of all roadside bombs across Iraq – more than 60% in some areas. This progress is due to improving technology, better training by the Iraqi Security Force, and most of all – it is because of the help of brave Iraqis, who are assisting our forces .
Iraqi citizens are not just reporting IEDs, but also phoning in tips, walking into local Joint Security Stations to provide actionable intelligence, and working with their security forces in ways not seen a year ago. They are directly enabling progress we are seeing in operation Phantom Phoenix.
On Sunday, Coalition forces operating east of Tikrit captured an al-Qaeda operative who facilitated weapons and munitions purchases, moved foreign fighters, and also acted as an interrogator at a terrorist kidnapping site in the area.
On Monday, Coalition forces captured a terrorist in Baqubah associated with a suicide bomb network in Diyala.
The collective weight of operations like these and countless others continues to disrupt the terrorist networks and improve security conditions for Iraq’s citizens. One small aspect of that progress is re-opening roads that were once plagued by bombs and terrorist attacks.
Just two days ago, the Government of Iraq was able to re-open a key roadway linking northern and southern Baqubah.
In a joint effort between the Iraqi Security Force and Coalition forces, a once-violent thoroughfare was returned to the use of the people that need it. Farmers can again move their produce, children can again reach their schools, and families can travel again.
Ministry of Interior
Another aspect of the progress being achieved is the fact that Iraqi forces are increasingly the first line of defense. That also means they are suffering losses two to three times that of the Coalition. Since my friend, Major general al-Askari, will talk more about the Iraqi Army, let me focus for just a minute on the Iraqi Police leadership…
Last week another courageous Iraqi police chief joined the ranks of those who have become martyrs for Iraq When Brigadier Salih gave his life doing his duty for the citizens of Ninewah Province. He was targeted for his courage, his even-handed enforcement of the law, and his leadership in serving the citizens of Mosul. He was struck down while personally assessing the security situation, leading his police from the front – refusing to be intimidated by the terrorists.
Today, even in the wake of that attack, Army Major General Riyad is establishing the Ninewah Operations Command to better unify Iraqi operations against al-Qaeda elements in Ninewah… showing leadership and courage under fire.
In Basra, Major General Abdul-Jalil Khalaf is another Iraqi police chief who has faced numerous attempts on his life. He is in charge of police efforts in an area that is under Provincial Iraqi control. Even in the face of persistent threats, he is courageously serving. These two officers and many others, including LTG Qays, killed in Babil Province, are a reminder that Iraqi leaders are pressing the fight and showing enormous courage…..and others are joining their ranks. In January alone, some 13,000 Iraqi citizens joined the ranks of Iraq’s police forces.
There is still much work underway in the Security Ministries of Interior to professionalize the force, increase accountability and expand technical capabilities, but there should also be great respect for their courage under fire and their willingness to serve their country
In closing…
This week, I had the opportunity to go on a patrol with troopers from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in south Baghdad. They were on a mission to coordinate with a Vocational-Technical School that is preparing to expand its capacity in order to accept more Iraqi citizens into the job training programs.
They are doing this in an area that a year ago was devastated by sectarian violence. As the squadron commander, LTC Myron Rieneke, discussed the key steps that the coalition and USAID were working on with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs… there was a clear sense of how much had changed in this neighborhood since last year. One of the non-commissioned officers in the unit told me things were indeed changing for the better. He should know. SGT Gunderson is on his third deployment in Iraq and has seen the full range of challenge and change here.
We realized that we had served together in Mosul in 2005, when he was an infantryman with Bravo Company, 3-21 Infantry.
Our country, our Army and the Iraqi people are truly blessed to have Sgt. Gunderson and his fellow soldiers selflessly, courageously and repeatedly placing themselves in harm’s way to help Iraq move forward. They are doing it increasingly in partnership and in support of Iraqi Army forces. Iraqi Army soldiers that are better trained, better equipped and better prepared to provide security for the Iraqi people.
And there is no one better able to speak to this than my friend Major General Mohammed al-Askari.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
