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| Iraq |
| COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY BRIEFING |
| 2004-01-09 |
| Clips Over the past week there has been an average of 18 engagements against coalition military daily, slightly more than two attacks against Iraqi security forces, and slightly more than one attack against Iraqi civilians on a daily basis. Today the coalition conducted 1,601 patrols, 28 offensive operations, 19 raids, and captured 47 anti-coalition suspects in the past 24 hours. ------- Ba’ath Party weapons turn-ins continue. A Shua’bah-level Ba’ath Party member from Tall Afar turned in a total of 76 AK-47s and 108 AK magazines. A Shua’bah-level Ba’ath party member from Zumar turned in 98 82mm mortar rounds and one complete 82mm mortar system and a sandbag full of mortar fuses. The weapons turn-ins are continuing in the north, and evidence of the former Ba’ath party members’ willingness to support coalition activities and assist in the reconstruction of a new Iraq. ------- Coalition forces conducted a raid near Tikrit, capturing Sulwan Ibriham Omar al-Musslit (ph), a former regime-element leader. Coalition forces conducted another joint raid south of Dibs, detaining Salah Shahab (ph). Salah (ph) is wanted for murdering eight Iraqi soldiers who attempted to desert during the ground-combat operations phase of the war and is now believed to be involved in terrorist acts. ------- I can tell you that the process for releasing the prisoners that Ambassador Bremer announced yesterday is under way. He said that approximately 100 prisoners would be ready to be released today. They are ready. That, of course, is conditional upon commitments from the guarantors. This is the tribal leaders, the community leaders that he discussed. We are in the process of contacting those guarantors and waiting for them to step forward. They’ve been notified, but we’re waiting for them to step forward. And so the process is under way. It’s going to take a couple days, we think, for all the guarantors to step forward. But as Ambassador Bremer said, we have 100 prisoners that are ready to be released. ------- As we said yesterday, and have said numerous times from the platform, we have roughly today somewhere over 9,500 -- just under 9,500 detainees -- that are being held in the coalition detention facilities, and then the other 3,400 to 3,500 of the MEK whose status is being determined at this time. ------- The initial few months to get the training process moving for the new Iraqi army had as much to do with developing a training program, getting trainers in place and building the training infrastructure. Keep in mind, when the old Iraqi army disbanded, it wasn’t just the army that disappeared. All the barracks, all the equipment was either looted or destroyed, right down to the pipes and tiles in the barracks on the bases. So we had to build up the infrastructure shortly after the war. Now, the U.S. Congress has appropriated over $3 billion -- $3.2 billion -- for security forces in Iraq, for the training of security forces in Iraq. With these resources deployed, and with the equipment deployed, and with the training facilities built out, we are in a position now to really ramp up the training. And one key component of the training is to have Iraqis training Iraqis. Once we had Iraqis who had gone through the system, Iraqis who became officers or senior members of the new Iraqi army were in a position to train other Iraqis, we knew this schedule could move very quickly. And that’s why training the first couple battalions took as long as it did. But once we have more Iraqi trainers deployed, we’ll be able to move that much more quickly. And I would say, the 1st Battalion is deployed, the 2nd Battalion has now graduated, the 3rd Battalion has already begun training, the 4th Battalion is already recruited. We’re on track to get to 27 battalions by next fall. |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #1 Reconstituted Iraqi army with 27 US trained battalions in a year and a half? Saddam was feared by every arab despot. Seems like every country in the mideast should be scared s**tless by the new Iraqi army. Good! |
| Posted by: john 2004-1-9 8:30:56 PM |