Scrap Iraq's corrupt police force: Ex-US General

Iraq’s security forces will be unable to take control of the country in the next 18 months and Baghdad’s national police force is so rife with corruption it should be scrapped entirely, according to a new independent assessment.

The study, led by retired US Marine Corps general James Jones, is a sweeping and detailed look at Iraq’s security forces that will factor heavily into Congress’ upcoming debate on the war.

Republicans see success by the Iraqi forces as critical to bringing US troops home, while an increasing number of Democrats say the US should stop training and equipping such units altogether.

The 20-member panel of mostly-retired senior military and police officers concludes that Iraq’s military, in particular its army, shows the most promise of becoming a viable, independent security force with time.

But the group predicts an adequate logistics system to support these ground forces is at least another two years away.

The report also offers a scathing assessment of Iraq’s Interior Ministry and recommends scrapping the national police force, which it describes as dysfunctional and infiltrated by militias.

Overall, Iraqi security forces “have the potential to help reduce sectarian violence, but ultimately the ISF will reflect the society from which they are drawn”, according to the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.

“Political reconciliation is the key to ending sectarian violence in Iraq.”

The US has spent £9.6bn (€14.2bn) on developing Iraq’s forces and plans to spend £2.7bn (€4bn) more next year. According to Jones’ study, the Iraqi military comprises more than 152,000 service members operating under the Defence Ministry, while the Interior Ministry oversees some 194,000 civilian security personnel, including police and border control.

The review is one of several studies that Congress commissioned in May, when it agreed to fund the war for several more months but demanded that the administration of President George Bush and outside groups assess US progress in the four-year war.

Jones, a former commander of US troops in Europe and former Marine Corps commandant, will testify before Congress today. Defence secretary Robert Gates and other officials have already been briefed on the study, officials said last week.

A senior Pentagon official said yesterday that the military did not believe the Iraqi national police should be disbanded but acknowledged that getting the Iraqi army up to speed would take a while.