Wednesday, February 23rd 2011Iraqi security forces “highly developed” says US army
Baghdad, The U.S. military in Iraq praised the capabilities of Iraqi security forces on Tuesday describing them as "highly-developed".
The statement comes as the U.S. forces are preparing to end their military presence in Iraq at the end of this year.
U.S. military spokesman in Iraq Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, told AKnews that the Iraqi security forces can today be considered the strongest in the region.
Buchanan attended military training sessions for the Iraqi army at the Asad base in Anbar province and said that the U.S. delivered training has focused on three key areas: “intelligence, self-reliance, and the development of military capabilities”.
“The training program of the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 10th divisions in the Iraqi army achieve different objectives, particularly that it focuses on collective training, not on the individual,” he said.
Buchanan explained that the training sessions last for one month and there are around 600 soldiers being trained at any one time.
"We seek through these courses to deliver the training program to the Iraqi side without the help of U.S. forces," he continued.
“In September the full responsibility for training will be handed over to the Iraqi army”.
As part of the bilateral agreement signed between the two countries in 2008, the U.S. withdrew active its active troops from Iraq last August, leaving around 50,000 soldiers in order to train and counsel their Iraqi counterparts.
At the end of this year, the remaining U.S. troops are expected to leave Iraq, ending an eight-year presence since the toppling of the former regime in 2003.
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/3/220318/
