Iraqi army 'needs two years to operate on own'

The commander of US forces in Baghdad said today that it will take as long as two years before the Iraqi army can operate on its own, with the necessary military leadership and supplies.

Maj. Gen. William Webster, commander of US forces in Baghdad, told Pentagon reporters that the Iraqi security forces are continuing to grow, but their major need is for support systems, such as fuel and replacement parts.

“If we’re talking about an army that can pick up and move and go out to the borders to defend the country and be able to sustain operations out in the open for a long period of time, it’s probably going to be a year and a half, two years before that system is mature enough to operate on its own,” Webster said from Baghdad.

US military officials initially said they thought they could begin fairly substantial troop withdrawals next spring.

But they have since scaled back that prediction, saying some troop reductions are possible in 2006, but any withdrawal will be based on conditions in Iraq.

There are now about 149,000 US troops in Iraq.

Violence escalated just before the recent elections on the constitution, but has dropped off again, Webster said.