10 April 2003
Iraqi Security Situation Is Erratic, Pentagon Says
(Pentagon Report, April 10: Iraq Operational Update) (970) By Jacquelyn S. Porth Washington File Security Affairs Writer Washington --- Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke says the security situation is erratic throughout Iraq, but that some local leaders in the south, including clerics, are encouraging Iraqis not to loot. Speaking with Clarke to reporters April 10, Vice Director of Operations for the Joint Staff Army Major General Stanley McChrystal said it will take some time to create a safe and secure environment for the Iraqi people. He acknowledged that looting is a problem in many cities, but he said it is not a major threat. For now, he said coalition forces are focused on the task of defeating remaining elements of Saddam Hussein's regime. Asked for his assessment of operations in Kirkuk in the north, McChrystal said the situation has been very fluid, but he pointed out that the Iraqi people and not the Iraqi regime control it. In response to a reporter's question, he also said there have not been any significant surrenders by Iraqi forces in the north. Coalition forces are "very wary," he said, of what they will encounter in the north around Tikrit, where they may find combinations of Republic Guards, Saddam's Fedayeen and Ba'athist elements. McChrystal said coalition forces will be prepared for a big fight should the regime try to mount a last stand there, but he also said Iraqi combat power had been significantly degraded in that area. The fact that the primary task of coalition forces is winning the war does not mean that other tasks are not under way, according to Clarke. Collaboration is ongoing with humanitarian organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide relief for populations in need, she said. Clarke said there is concern within various communities --- military and humanitarian -- about moving aid as rapidly as possible, and the coalition is working very hard at getting the Iraqi people what they need. She referred to earlier comments by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in which he said the suffering of the Iraqi people did not begin with "Operation Iraqi Freedom;" instead, he said they had been long suffering under Saddam Hussein's reign. "The war didn't launch a humanitarian crisis," Clarke said, "it is ending one, however." Once free of that regime, she said, the Iraqi people and their economy "will have a chance to recover and grow." In response to criticism leveled at the military for a slow response to humanitarian assistance, McChrystal said the military "can't do everything at once." First, he said, threatening elements such as the Special Republic Guard forces and "death squads" must be defeated. Clarke said substantial amounts of food and medical aid are flowing in from the coalition. In fact, in a briefing broadcast earlier April 10 into the Pentagon from Umm Qasr, U.S. Army Brigadier General John Kern said he has teams of Free Iraqi Forces (FIF) who are going in to all parts of the country to determine local requirements for food, water and electricity. Their presence really speeds up efforts to get in to local neighborhoods for these kinds of assessments, the commander of 352nd Civil Affairs Command said. There are nearly 70 FIF helping to build trust in communities where they once lived, he added, and to reassure vulnerable populations that the coalition is not leaving them to fend for themselves. Among some of the other points Clarke made: -- More than 200,000 tons of food, water and medicine has been unloaded in Umm Qasr from the British ship Sir Galahad; -- More than 50,000 tons of wheat have been shipped by the United States; -- 100,000 tons of wheat have been shipped by Australia; and -- Both President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have urged the United Nations to resume Iraq's Oil-for-Food Program. Clarke provided an update on the status of a variety of Iraqi cities and towns. She said: -- Umm Qasr has had its electricity restored, and its water supply exceeds prewar levels. Medical facilities there are described as operating and "sufficient," with the U.N. Children's Fund providing supplies. Additional medical supplies and food has been delivered by Spain. The Czech Republic is building a hospital for Iraqi prisoners of war. -- Basrah's power is functioning again and food supplies are deemed "sufficient." Medical supplies are back up to prewar levels and some 60- to 80 percent of the city has water, with more being trucked in to the city's suburbs. -- An Nasiriyah has enough food, but water is very limited. Health care is described as "rudimentary" and the electrical supply is inconsistent. The U.S. Agency for International Development is sending health kits that have enough supplies for 5,000 people for three months. -- As Samawa has a couple of months worth of stockpiled food. Medical requirements are being evaluated. Water and electricity are not yet normalized. -- An Najaf still needs power and water restored, but there are no food shortages. Its hospital is up and running. The Kuwaiti Joint Red Crescent Society has been instrumental in trucking in water, food and medicines. -- Baghdad has food, but power is intermittent. There is no water crisis, but hospitals are described as running "at reduced rates." Besides her city-specific assessments, Clarke said food, water, medicine and electricity is at prewar levels in the north. She said UNICEF trucks are hauling in 32 tons of hospital equipment and other supplies. Another 11 UNICEF trucks are also heading to southern Iraq, according to the spokeswoman. On another subject, McChrystal told a reporter he remains "very concerned" about the status of American prisoners of war. However, he said now that U.S. forces are in Baghdad, the chance of learning more about them will likely increase. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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