The US is confident that Iraqi security forces are ready to take over responsibility for the country’s cities when American troops pull back to surrounding areas. But some military and political concerns remain. US troops are pulling back from Iraqi cities, leaving Iraqi forces to take over control for security operations in urban areas. The Americans believe Iraq is ready for such a responsibility but unsurprisingly there are concerns. US troops have been pulling out of Iraq’s cities as part of a staged withdrawal over the last eight months on the understanding that there is overall stability in Iraq. Meanwhile, Iraqi parliamentarians show confidence in home army. This feeling of optimism is shared by many Iraqi parliamentarians. For example Ayad Jamaleldin told Deutsche Welle that despite the continuing fragility of the war-torn country, he was confident that the Iraqi armed forces would be able to protect the country’s citizens. “Of course, the Iraqi armed forces are in a position to guarantee the security of the cities,” he said. “They are even more effective than the multinational troops, because they can identify the different factions faster and better. In addition, they are more knowledgeable and better suited to deal with geographical factors.” Iraqi security services say they will meet the US withdrawal with their biggest deployment of troops and policemen in the six years since the US-led invasion of the country. Some 120,000 additional soldiers and police will be deployed to Baghdad alone, and thousands of others will be deployed to other cities.
US WITHDRAWALS FROM IRAQ
The US is confident that Iraqi security forces are ready to take over responsibility for the country’s cities when American troops pull back to surrounding areas. But some military and political concerns remain.
