WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2007
Study: 'Uneven Progress' By Iraq Security
New Report Says Iraqis Won't Be Able To Take Over Security Duties For At Least A Year
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A U.S. soldier secures an area from a helicopter carrying U.S. military and Iraqi Government officials for a meeting with tribal leaders to discuss cooperation and security matters at Patrol Base Murray south of Baghdad, Iraq on Monday, Sept. 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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A man rushes an injured child into the hospital in Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007. The child was injured after a roadside bomb exploded on the fringes of the capital's Shiite slum of Sadr City. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
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Special Report The Road Ahead Katie Couric reports from Iraq on the future of U.S. involvement there.
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Interactive Battle For Iraq The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
The study, conducted by a 20-member panel led by retired Gen. James Jones, is one of several independent studies Congress directed in May. A copy of the 37-page report was obtained by The Associated Press.
Overall, Jones found that Iraqi military forces, particularly the Army, show "clear evidence of developing the baseline infrastructures that lead to the successful formation of a national defense capability." But Baghdad's police force and Ministry of Interior are plagued by "dysfunction."
"In any event, the ISF will be unable to fulfill their essential security responsibilities independently over the next 12-18 months," the report states.
Jones, a former commander of U.S. troops in Europe and Marine Corps Commandant, is scheduled to testify before Congress on Thursday. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other officials have already been briefed on the study, officials said last week.
A separate independent study released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office found that Iraq had not met 11 of 18 political and security goals - a blunt assessment that challenges President Bush's findings on the war as he prepares to announce plans for the U.S. military campaign..
Meanwhile, Mr. Bush vigorously defended his troop buildup on Wednesday, and got a boost when Australian Prime Minister John Howard said his country's forces would remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future.
"If I didn't think we could succeed, I wouldn't have our troops there," Mr. Bush said. He added that it was important "that we hang in there with the Iraqis and help them."
In other developments:
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., the No. 2 Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for the Jones study earlier this year. He said he wanted a detailed assessment on the capability of Iraq's military and police forces because their success is considered by the Bush administration as necessary before U.S. troops leave.
The report is upbeat about progress made by the Iraqi army and special forces, noting these units have become more proficient in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations.
"They are gaining size and strength, and will increasingly be capable of assuming greater responsibility for Iraq's security," the report states, adding that special forces in particular are "highly capable and extremely effective."
But the report is much more pessimistic about Iraq's police forces. It describes the Iraqi police as fragile, ill-equipped and infiltrated by militia forces. And it is led by the Ministry of Interior, which is "a ministry in name only" that is "widely regarded as being dysfunctional and sectarian, and suffers from ineffective leadership."
Among the recommendations made in the report are:
The panel was comprised of 20 retired senior military officers, chiefs of police, as well as John Hamre, who served as deputy of defense during the Clinton administration. The group says it traveled three times to Iraq for a total of 20 days, and met with more than 100 Iraqi officials, 100 current and former U.S. government officials and a dozen leading non-governmental experts.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 49 Comments
- And in 12-18 months we will have had ______ more American deaths and another report saying that in __ to ______ more months will be needed.
An on, and on, and on.
Just a passing additional thought. All you folks with I SUPPORT OUR TROOPS bumper stickers, many of which installed by folks who believe that critizing the war does not support our troop...
Answer this right now: How many Americans died yesterday? How many died the day before that? How many died the day before?
I''m betting 90% of you don''t know the answer.
This has become a TV war, a non-reality war, a far away war, that will go on and on, and on until someone forces BUSH to end this war, either thru huge public outcrys, or a new election, or something.
So you support our troops but do not know how many were killed yesterday? Pretty easy to stick that bumper sticker on and forget about the constant, needless, ONGOING bloodshed, as long as its not yours. Hipocrites. - Reply to this comment
- Just what do you war mongers mean by success?
Posted by brianbwb
Chrrrp, chrrrp...
Still no takers?
Chrrrp, chrrrp...
I guess this question is like pitching a no hitter... - Reply to this comment
- You sound like Baghdad Bob, you''''re a propoganda machine for the crazy Islamists. Totally delusional about the real world.
Posted by jowand at 06:50 PM : Sep 05, 2007
Oh Ho! A Fascist Bootlicker! So YOU think Bush has told us the truth? YOU think any American who points out the fact that he has NOT is a "Propaganda Machine for the crazy ISlamists"? ROFLMAO Can you REALLY be that STUPID? I''d suppose you honestly BELIEVE that Bush had the "Smoking Gun" he claimed to have when he invaded this country? Sparky the resistance is NOW in control of the SECOND biggest City in the COUNTRY, a City our convoys have to roll through EVERYDAY and YOU still believe we''re winning? Maybe you should take off the swastika and admit that your fuhrer is a LIAR? Sieg Heil Bush!! - Reply to this comment
- I have yet to see anyone who supports this war define success.
Does it mean that the Iraqis should accept our occupation and the murder of its citizens?
The kidnapping, rape, and torture of their loved ones? The theft of their oil? Bush''s puppet as their leader?
Or as some of the more ignorant post, the banning and eradication of their religion?
Just what do you all mean by "the surge is working, that they won''t just wait, or force us out, and then continue the inevitable bloody power struggle we caused when we decapitated their power structure by lynching Saddam?
Just what do you war mongers mean by success? - Reply to this comment
- The United States Defense Department regrets to inform you that your son (father, brother, sister, mother, daughter) died due to uneven progress. Rest assured that the president tanks you for your family''s sacrifice in order to cover his political legacy and as*s and that the vice president thanks you for the blood money that has poured into his off shore bank account. The body will be returned (what''s left of it), but no cameras or pictures are allowed. They might lower morale.
- Reply to this comment
- "New Report Says Iraqis Won''t Be Able To Take Over Security Duties For At Least A Year"
Very convenient. This will be reason for Bush to keep U.S. troops there until after he''s out of office, so he can blame losing the war on someone else. - Reply to this comment
- One of the inspectors asked about the lack of electricity the officer said they only have about 2 hours of service,,, the general (Bush''s monitor) jumped all over the guy..
.. You''d think this was North Korea with North Korean officers monitoring the questions & answers. - Reply to this comment
- I wouldn''t want to be the dude giving the report, Republicans attack them. Catch it tomorrow on CSPAN & take alarm.
.. I was listening to the committee on the GAO report on CSPAN today --- Republicans don''''t want answers they want to discredit reports & hard working dedicated people...... More people need to watch these things. - Reply to this comment
- I can hear dubya now, "progress is being made" "we need more time" "we need more money" "stay the course"
Posted by clestes at 05:26 PM : Sep 05, 2007
he''s always been big about other people dying in his place. I say if the gutless coward is so sure we''re making progress then he should put a uniform on over his yellow as*s, grab a gun and go get SHOT himself! - Reply to this comment
jowand,
Your stupidity precedes you.
Baghdad Bob quotes- each and every one of which has been proven to be far more accurate than anything that I have ever seen you write:
"We will welcome them with bullets and shoes."
"Losers, they think that by killing civilians and trying to distort the feelings of the people they will win. I think they will not win, those ***."
%u201CWe have placed them in a quagmire from which they can never emerge except dead%u201D
"Washington has thrown their soldiers on the fire"- Reply to this comment
- Empty, unsupported claims about "al-Qaeda-in-Iraq" and nonsensical "links" to Iranian-made IEDs might be "believed" by the pathetic yellow-journalists at CBS Nooz, but they are certainly not "believed" by me.
Posted by FeelFree1 at 06:38 PM : Sep 05, 2007
You sound like Baghdad Bob, you''re a propoganda machine for the crazy Islamists. Totally delusional about the real world. - Reply to this comment
Empty, unsupported claims about "al-Qaeda-in-Iraq" and nonsensical "links" to Iranian-made IEDs might be "believed" by the pathetic yellow-journalists at CBS Nooz, but they are certainly not "believed" by me.- Reply to this comment
Re: "Early Wednesday, U.S. forces captured an Iraqi believed to be working with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps''s elite Quds Force to supply Shiite militias with Iranian-made weapons, said Maj. Winfield Danielson III."
I see that the liars and cowards that are in command of our military, are still doing whatever they can to fabricate a case for an illegal war of aggression against Iran.- Reply to this comment
- LIBS desire a U.S. failure. SUCESS in Iraq is a LIB worst nightmare. So sad that the party of FDR is now a bunch of U.S. haters.
Posted by mbcsmith at 03:27 PM : Sep 05, 2007
Yes. And so do you. Success of the Constitution and Revolution is your worst nightmare. Or both of you oligachial commie morons. - Reply to this comment
- Uneven progress in the United States. Over half the nation is still apathetic un-Constitutional, AWOL of duty, war criminal, cowardly brown nosers.
- Reply to this comment
- skyk:
Sergeant, I Salute You!
God Bless The USA
Posted by nikosk1 at 01:29 PM : Sep 05, 2007
+ report abuse
I salute both of you!! It''s time someone started stating the obvious. - Reply to this comment
- LIBS desire a U.S. failure. SUCESS in Iraq is a LIB worst nightmare. So sad that the party of FDR is now a bunch of U.S. haters.Posted by mbcsmith at 03:27 PM : Sep 05, 2007
Your reasoning needs explained. What "libs" are you talking about. Pulling back our forces in Iraq would not be a failure. It would mean that we intend to find a better and, more importantly, a successful way of solving the problem. Believing this does not make libs UnAmerican, it makes them thinking Americans. Staying in Iraq and sustaining continued failures is failure. FDR''s party is alive and well ~ and working to bring the USA back to some of its former glory and world stature. - Reply to this comment
- Hey McVET, Nazi man, the federal defecit was reduced by 80 billion last quarter despite the fact we at war, despite natural disasters. Get your facts straight, oh that''s right, true facts are meaningless to nazi propogandists like yourself. Sieg heil up your sorry *** McTraitor!
- Reply to this comment
- LIBS desire a U.S. failure. SUCESS in Iraq is a LIB worst nightmare. So sad that the party of FDR is now a bunch of U.S. haters.
Posted by mbcsmith at 03:27 PM : Sep 05, 2007
+ report abuse
You have got to stop snorting Glue or whatever it is you''re snorting. Now UNLESS you think that 70% of the American Public is "Lib" your post makes NO sense. Frankly I think you dumber that rocks Fascist haven''t a CLUE what a "Lib" is and you only repeat it because someone TOLD you that''s who you should hate if they don''t agree with your stupid views. How would you know what I or for that matter anyone else thinks. You''re just a poor simple minded Nazi who care''s more for your party than your country. Sieg Heil Bush!! - Reply to this comment
- what we need to do is to build an infrastructure that is more independent from oil usage..once that momentum is going..you and I can tell them to fu0ck off..
Posted by libsluvsuvs at 04:47 PM : Sep 05, 2007
+ report abuse
By that time we''ll be bankrupt Sparky! Do you know how much that pathetic LOSER Bush is spending every week in Iraq and then there''s the pushing of our Military to the breaking point. Right now they have a bounty on new recruits. Anyone who brings in a breathing body gets a fat amount of cash. Know where that comes from? Sieg Heil Bush!! - Reply to this comment
