Sun, 04 Mar 2007 01:34:00
Iraqi forces take control of Baghdad security
Iraqi security forces for the first time have taken control of Baghdad’s security, a senior military official said.
Iraqi security forces recently took control of Operation Fard al-Qanun, or “Enforcing the Law,” a plan designed by the Iraqi government and led by Iraqi army Lt. Gen. Abboud Gambar, said Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, Multinational Corps Iraq chief of staff.
U.S. forces are working in concert with Iraqi security forces to provide a 24-hour presence in the city, but Abboud and his staff now plan and execute the strategy from a new command post established in Adnan Palace in the Green Zone.
Anderson called establishing the Iraqi-led Baghdad operations command a “monumental feat,” and said that the Iraqi security forces have come a long way in the past month as a command organization.
Both the Iraqi police and the Iraqi army are “very capable, competent, … and the ability to plan and coordinate operations with coalition forces gets better every day,” he said.
Coalition and Iraqi forces have built joint security stations and combat outposts throughout the city to begin securing the area.
This presence represents a critical shift away from operating out of forward operating bases and instead maintaining a constant presence in the city – a presence that is needed to hold areas security forces have cleared, Anderson said.
“In the past, we have been able to clear areas, but were not able to hold the areas and secure them over time,” AndersonBaghdad over a long period of time.” said. “We must demonstrate our ability to maintain the security in
Anderson said making it safe for local citizens is necessary to develop the economic and political processes needed to achieve stability in the area.
About 20,000 Iraqi security force troops will eventually operate in Baghdad, he said. Currently, the 6th and 9th Iraqi army divisions and two national police divisions patrol the city.
Posted by JimK at 01:34 AM on March 04, 2007
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#2 Posted by JimK 
on 03/04 at 09:03 PM -
There’s a whole program being put into place right now designed to do nothing but get the Sunni and Shiite leaders to sit down and hammer out a peace. I forgot to bookmark the link and so I’ve of course forgotten where I read it, but essentially the Iraqi government is hosting these sit-downs to try to negotiate and help each side air grievances, etc.
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#1 Posted by Orpheus
on 03/04 at 11:23 AM -
Now if they can just keep the police neutral in the Sunni/Shiite war they might have a chance.