Iraqi security plans on track

2005-05-15 16:07

Arbil - About 162 000 Iraqis have been trained and equipped for security duty in the violence-plagued country, but many are still not operational, senior US officials said on Sunday.

The United States has been stepping up its training of Iraqi security forces to eventually replace the 138 000-strong US contingent, supplemented by 23 000 other international troops, facing a stubborn insurgency.

The officials, traveling with secretary of state Condoleezza Rice on her lightning trip here, said the trained Iraqis included 71 000 regular army and National Guard troops, 57 000 police and 15 000 border guards.

Special commandos, special operations forces, highway patrol officers, support troops and other security categories made up the rest, said the officials, who asked not to be named.

But the officials said Iraqi had only 69 operational combat battalions and seven support battalions, for a maximum total of 76 000 men, on top of police stationed across the country.

"They have varying degrees of capability but they are operational," said one of the officials.

The preparedness of Iraqi security forces is key to an eventual US exit strategy from the country, with Democrats in Washington accusing the Republican administration of vastly overstating Iraqis' readiness to take on the insurgents.

- AFP