04 August 2006
U.S., Georgian Forces Promote Leadership Skills in Iraq
Progress toward security, economic growth in Diyala province highlighted
Washington – A senior U.S. military official working with Iraqi forces in the province of Diyala said that the coalition’s goal is to promote security, foster economic growth and develop needed basic infrastructure and services.
Army Colonel Brian Jones, who commands the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, spoke to reporters at the Pentagon August 4 by teleconference from his base in Baqubah, Iraq.
The 3,700 U.S. forces under his command also work with an infantry battalion from the Federal Republic of Georgia. These forces are partnering with Iraqi army, police and border enforcement guards to defeat anti-Iraq forces active in the province, Jones said.
One aspect of this mission is to carry out joint searches, patrols and raids, which have netted more than 300 insurgents and hundreds of caches of small arms munitions and other military equipment, he said.
Primarily, the U.S. and Georgian forces are mentoring and training Iraqi security forces. “[E]ach day they [Iraqi forces] come close to shouldering full responsibility for the security of their province,” Jones said.
Jones told reporters that the Iraqi army has improved greatly in the past eight months, although the local police are lagging a bit behind. He said the progress made by the army will allow coalition forces to concentrate more on providing the police with the additional professional training they need to become more effective. The Border Enforcement Police, meanwhile, are making great strides although they still are experiencing an equipment shortfall, he said.
In addition to military operations, Jones said that the overall effort to build local institutions is also on track and is designed to “provide long-term stability, prosperity and the opportunity [for the Iraqis] to develop the Iraq of their hopes and dreams.”
He said his forces are also coordinating with State and Defense Department provincial reconstruction teams in promoting leadership, economic initiatives and better education. Through the PRTs, Jones said, $21 million has been invested to date in project improvements related to health, transportation, fuel, electricity, water and agriculture in Diyala.
As an example of how some of the American money is being spent, he said, the province’s lucrative date crop will be sprayed with pesticide for the first time in three years to combat a destructive insect. Dates are the second largest Iraqi export after oil, he said, so spraying offers “an important economic stabilizer and job provider.”
Jones was asked to characterize the violence he has witnessed in Diyala where the province is 50 percent Sunni, 35 percent Shi’a, and the rest are Kurds. He said it often is difficult to discern which attacks are being carried out by insurgents, and which can be attributed to sectarian violence, or other motivations, such as criminal activities or efforts to influence local politics.
He said some of the violence may be tied to political posturing in advance of upcoming provincial elections early in 2007, or, to Iran’s desire to ensure that local Shi’ia retain a sufficient degree of power.
Army General John Abizaid, who heads U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, told the Senate Armed Services Committee August 3 that he believes that despite recent sectarian violence in Iraq there are still more Iraqis interested in holding the country together than those who would “tear it apart.” Jones said the Iraqis ultimately will “have to decide what their future holds.” (See related article.)
TERRORIST FINANCING
Questioned about the financing behind recent violent attacks in the province, Jones said that, as with the attacks themselves, it is often hard to sort out precisely who is providing financial support. But, he added, “We know there is money coming into the province from outside forces to fund a lot of the terrorist actions, we see.”
Some of the money is also being generated internally by criminals using kidnappings and extortion to finance terrorist activities, the official said.
REGIONAL TENSIONS
Asked if the war between Israeli Defense Forces and Hezbollah in Lebanon has affected Iraq, Jones said there is keen awareness about the fierce fighting. He expressed some limited concern about the possible spillover of tension into Iraq.
Most Iraqis understand that the U.S. role in Iraq is to help them sort out their government and promote democracy, Jones added.
A transcript of Jones’s briefing is available from the Department of Defense Web site.
For more information about U.S. policy, see the Middle East and North Africa and Terrorist Financing.
The transcript of Abizaid’s August 3 remarks is available on the U.S. Central Command Web site.
(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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