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| Iraq |
| Referendum Security Boost Iraqi Confidence, British General Says |
| 2005-11-05 |
| The secure environment in which Iraqis voted on a constitutional referendum Oct. 15 increased Iraqis' confidence in their security forces, a top official said. "I think the real success for the referendum security was the increased confidence it gave to the Iraqi security forces themselves and, through them, to the Iraqi people," British Royal Marine Maj. Gen. Jim Dutton, commander of Multinational Division Southeast, said in a news conference from Basra, Iraq, today. "That will be significant in the way in which the (security forces) are seen by the Iraqi people in the future." Dutton is in charge of coalition operations in the region. He said this increased confidence is important as plans progress to completely transition security operations to Iraqi forces. While tailored to each individual region, the plans will enable Iraqi forces to provide their own security with decreasing dependence on coalition forces. Relative calm in Iraq's southeast gives security forces there a head start on this process. "We are in a situation here now, and have been for some time, (where) Iraqi forces take the lead for security," Dutton said. "We are not, after all, fighting an insurgency down here." more at link |
| Posted by:Bobby |