Iraqi troops ‘not ready to defend country’

AN Iraqi general has called into question whether his troops are ready to defend the country against a stubborn insurgency and external threats.

US military leaders, who engaged in a massive troop withdrawal that will see American forces reduced to 50,000 by month’s end from about 150,000 at their peak — say Iraq’s army and police are up to the challenge of militant attacks.

Under the security pact between Baghdad and Washington, all US troops are scheduled to leave by the end of next year.

But Lieutenant General Babakir Zebari, Iraq’s senior military officer, said at a defence conference in Baghdad that the Iraqi army would not be ready to ensure security until 2020.

“At this point, the withdrawal is going well, because they are still here,” he said.

“But the problem will start after 2011; the politicians must find other ways to fill the void after 2011. If I were asked about the withdrawal, I would say the US army must stay until the Iraqi army is fully ready in 2020.”

Washington plans to leave 50,000 troops in Iraq to support and train Iraqi forces, which now number about 440,000 police and 220,000 soldiers. But Iraq has only a bare-bones air force and navy, and US officials concede strengthening its ability to defend its borders is a work in progress.

“The Iraqi security forces are in the lead for internal security and fully capable of providing internal security,” US General Steve Lanza said in response to Zebari’s comments. “Iraq is rapidly building conventional capabilities to defend against external threats every day and there is much work to be done before the end of the current mission of US forces in December 2011.”

Violence has fallen sharply since the height of sectarian violence in 2006-07 but Iraq still sees an average of 15 militant attacks a day, according to US figures. American soldiers will train and support the Iraqis, provide air support and logistics help, and work as “partners” in counter-terrorism operations, Lieutenant General Robert Cone said.

“It is very unlikely that the Iraqi security forces will ask for assistance in the form of combat soldiers… because there’s 660,000 Iraqis in uniform today defending this country,” he said, adding the Iraqis are doing “exactly the right things” against militant attacks.

But Iraqi military analyst Adil al-Azawi estimated the army’s readiness for internal threats at about 60%-70% and said it was not close to being prepared to defend borders.

“The statement of Lieutenant General Babakir Zebari is professional and has a high degree of credibility,” said Azawi, a former army colonel. “The Iraqi army does not have even 20% of the arms of the armies of neighbouring countries.”

Military officials have said full modernisation of a force will take another 10 years.

Prime minister Nuri al-Maliki last week appeared to leave the door open to a renegotiation of the security pact, saying he hoped the next premier wouldn’t have to propose an extension.