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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: steve harris who wrote (317977)	12/30/2006 5:47:51 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1577995

U.S. General Says Iraq Insurgents Lack Sustainability Improved Iraqi security forces are a key factor, General Alston says By Merle D. Kellerhals Jr. Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- Insurgents in Iraq are showing little capacity to keep up numerous and persistent attacks, a senior U.S. general in Baghdad says. At a briefing December 29, Air Force Brigadier General C.D. Alston said there are three reasons for the diminishing capability of the insurgents to keep up attacks. The ability of insurgents to wage sustained combat is a key indicator closely watched by U.S. military forces to determine the enemy's effectiveness. "The first is the joint offensive operations that have been launched by coalition forces and Iraqi security forces over the course of the last several months," said Alston, who is the director of strategic communications for the Multinational Force Iraq. The security offensive has been focused on defeating terrorists and foreign fighters, and disrupting the insurgency, he said, with great effect. The second reason, he said, is the progressive training and equipping of Iraqi security forces. "They continue to grow, with phenomenal capabilities. Today, there are 223,000 trained and equipped members of the Iraqi security forces," Alston said during the briefing carried by a Pentagon teleconference from Baghdad. He said the impact of the expanded security forces was most noticeable during the December 15 Council of Representatives elections. (See related article.) Alston said the third factor that has contributed to the diminishing capacity of the insurgents has been the active participation in the political process by Sunni Iraqis. (See Iraq’s Political Process.) However, he acknowledged that there are still terrorists and insurgents in Iraq determined to destroy what the Iraqis are trying to accomplish. "So increasingly powerful Iraqi security forces, with support from coalition forces, will continue focused operations to eliminate the terrorists and enable an environment in which freedom and democracy can prosper," he said. The key for Iraq, he said, is the ability of its security forces -- civilian and military -- to provide for its national security. Because of this improvement among Iraqi security forces, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said during recent appearances in Iraq that the United States would reduce the number of combat troops there by approximately 7,000 in 2006. (See related article.) The United States has maintained a force of approximately 137,000 troops in Iraq, though that number has surged during elections to as much as 160,000 for brief periods. In addition, he said the United States plans to reduce its forces in Afghanistan by 2,000 or 3,000 troops in early to mid-2006. "The United States government has, as the president has indicated, been periodically assessing the situation in Afghanistan and assessing the conditions on the ground, and then making judgments about our arrangements and our numbers and our activities in Afghanistan," Rumsfeld said while traveling across the Middle East and South Asia. Also, he said the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan is aided by a decision from NATO to expand its forces there through the International Security Assistance Force. Army General George W. Casey Jr., commander of Multinational Force Iraq, said the decision to reduce the number of combat brigades in Iraq from 17 to 15 is in direct response to the improved security provided by Iraqi forces. One of two brigades that had been scheduled to go to Iraq in a regular rotation will be held in Kuwait as a "call-forward force," he said, which means they can move quickly into Iraq if needed, but can continue training at the same time. "It's a hedge against the uncertainty of the next few months," he said. Created:29 Dec 2005 Updated: 29 Dec 2005 usinfo.state.gov