06 September 2006
Iraqi Government To Start Transfer of Military Authority
Coalition spokesman also reports capture of another senior terrorist leader
Washington – On September 7, the Iraqi government will reach yet another milestone by taking control of its army’s ground forces command structure as well as Iraq’s air and naval forces, a coalition forces spokesman reports.
“This is such a huge, significant event that's about to occur tomorrow,” Army Major General William Caldwell told reporters at a September 6 press briefing in Baghdad, Iraq.
Since 2003, Iraqi’s military has been administered jointly by Iraqi authorities and the coalition through Multinational Corps - Iraq. After several years of training and joint operations, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will take control of the air force, navy and Iraq’s 8th Iraqi Army Division, in a September 7 transfer-of-command ceremony, Caldwell explained. (See related article.)
The command transfer puts the prime minister directly in the operational control of his military forces as his role as the commander in chief, removing coalition forces from the Iraqi military’s chain of command, which will start at Maliki, through the minister of defense and the joint force headquarters that will oversee Iraqi ground forces command headquarters, which, in turn, will supervise operations from the division level down to the individual soldier, he said. (See related article.)
Maliki then will direct the gradual transfer of additional Iraqi army divisions from the Multinational Corps to the new independent command structure. Caldwell said that he expects that about two divisions per month will be transitioned until all 10 divisions are finally under a fully independent Iraqi operational command.
The transfer ceremony, Caldwell said, is yet another indicator of the Iraqi security forces’ increasing capability to safeguard their country. Currently, six of the Iraqi army’s 10 divisions – a total of 26 brigades and 88 battalions – are responsible for maintaining security in assigned operational areas across Iraq.
“[Iraqi army forces are] maintaining the lead in coordinating, planning and conducting security operations in the area in which they're operating,” Caldwell said, “With more and more Iraqi security forces in the lead, the number of counterinsurgency operations being conducted by Iraqi security forces, with coalition forces in support, continues to increase steadily.”
BAGHDAD SECURITY OPERATIONS PROGRESSING
By maintaining security, he added, Iraqi forces are creating the conditions that allow local authorities to rebuild local government and restore basic services, allowing a sense of normalcy slowly to return for millions of Iraqi families. (See related article.)
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Baghdad, where Iraqi army and national police units, supported by coalition forces, continue to make progress under “Operation Together Forward” – the Iraqi planned and led effort to step up security and promote reconstruction in the capital’s most violent neighborhoods Caldwell said. (See related article.)
In the past week, Caldwell said, Iraqi and coalition forces executed 16 operations in and around Baghdad targeting perpetrators of sectarian violence, terrorist attacks and other criminal activities, arresting five alleged ringleaders and 11 members of gangs involved in Sunni-Shi’a violence.
As security improves, Iraqi forces are working with local advisory councils to identify and fund projects to help area residents improve their communities, according to Caldwell. Caldwell announced that the Baghdad Provincial Council's Reconstruction and Development Committee recently unanimously approved 15 reconstruction projects worth $9.2 million. These projects will provide employment for approximately 1,900 Iraqis over the next five years building new roads, sewage lines and a school, as well as 941 permanent jobs managing and maintaining the finished facilities.
“Whether it's Iraqi security forces taking the lead or handover of governance and security responsibilities to Iraqi civil leadership in the province, we continue to see Iraqi forces, Iraqi security forces and Iraqi governance moving forward here,” he said.
TOP AL-QAIDA IN IRAQ LEADER DETAINED BY IRAQI AUTHORITIES
Iraqi army and national police units further have demonstrated their capabilities in recent weeks in more than 80 missions targeting al-Qaida in Iraq, killing 49 terrorists and detaining 225 others linked to bombings, kidnapping and murders, and facilitating movement of foreign fighters, weapons, explosive materials and funding into the country, he said.
Caldwell also reported that on September 3, Iraqi authorities announced that a top al-Qaida in Iraq leader in custody since June 19 has yielded valuable intelligence, including information leading to the capture of 20 terrorist leaders.
Abu Humam, also known as Abu Rana or Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi, was captured June 19 outside Baquba. Iraqi authorities kept his capture a secret to allow them a chance to gather actionable operational intelligence about current operations and impending terrorist attacks.
“Abu Humam admitted to being a senior leader within the terrorist organization, particularly in the Saladin region, where he had several terrorist cells reporting directly to him.” Caldwell said, who also called his arrest, “the most significant al-Qaida leader captured since the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.”
A transcript of Caldwell’s briefing, as well as a video link and briefing slides (PDF, 10 pages) are available from the Multi-National Force – Iraq 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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