Is US military glossing over the upsurge in violence in Iraq?
Nearly a dozen civilians die violent deaths in Iraq every day Photo: bbc.co.uk
Serious questions have been raised whether Iraqi security forces will be able to stabilize the security within the country after withdrawal of US troops. In July, the new US Defence Secretary of State, Leon Panetta had to leave Baghdad airport by helicopter to the hotel and this illustrates the fragile security situation after eight years of war. The part of the security problem is that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shia-dominated government, dependent on support from strongly anti-American elements, has not been able to produce a clear answer on security situation. A top US adviser on Iraq has accused the US military of glossing over an upsurge in violence, just months before its troops are due to be withdrawn. Iraq is more dangerous now than a year ago, said a report issued by the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart W. Bowen, Junior. He said the killing of US soldiers and senior Iraqi figures, had risen, along with attacks in Baghdad. The report contradicts usually upbeat assessments from the US military. It comes as Washington is preparing to withdraw its remaining 47,000 troops from Iraq by the end of the year, despite fears that the Iraqi security forces might not be ready to take over fully. "Iraq remains an extraordinarily dangerous place to work," Mr. Bowen concluded in his quarterly report to Congress. "It is less safe, in my judgment, than 12 months ago." The report cited the deaths of 15 US soldiers in June - the bloodiest month for the American military in two years - but also said more Iraqi officials had been assassinated in the past few months than in any other recent period. While the efforts of Iraqi and American forces may have reduced the threat from the Sunni-based insurgency, Shia militias are believed to have become more active, it said. They are being blamed for the deaths of American soldiers, and for an increase in rocket attacks on the Baghdad international zone and the US embassy compound. Additionally, the report called the north-eastern province of Diyala, which borders Iran, "very unstable" with frequent bombings that bring double-digit death tolls. Mr. Bowen accused the US military of glossing over the instability, noting an army statement in late May that described Iraq's security trends as "very, very positive" - but only when compared to 2007, when the country was on the brink of civil war. A spokesman for the US army in Iraq declined to respond. The findings come in the middle of what the inspector called a "summer of uncertainty" in Baghdad over whether American forces will stay past a year-end withdrawal deadline and continue military aid for the unstable nation. Although the US is preparing to withdraw all its remaining troops by the end of the year, in line with mutual agreements, the Obama administration has offered to leave 10,000 to help train the Iraqi forces. Patterns of violence have changed, he adds. There are fewer big bomb explosions, but more targeted killings of Iraqi officials or security forces. While visiting in July, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said that his country will act "unilaterally" to confront what he said were Iranian threats to US interests in Iraq. Speaking during his first visit to Baghdad since taking office on July 1, Panetta said on 18th July that the US was "very concerned about Iran and the weapons they are providing to extremists here in Iraq". He blamed weapon supplies from Iran for the increase in violence in June, the deadliest month for US troops in Iraq in two years. "In June we lost a hell of a lot of Americans as a result of those attacks. And we cannot just simply stand back and allow this to continue to happen," he said. Panetta said Washington's first effort would be to press the Iraqi government and military to go after the Shia groups he said were responsible for the attacks. "Secondly, to do what we have to do unilaterally, to be able to go after those threats as well, and we're doing that," he said, referring to the right of US forces to defend themselves on Iraqi soil. "And thirdly, to bring pressure on Iran to not engage in this kind of behaviour. Because, very frankly, they need to know that our first responsibility is to protect those that are defending our country. And that is something we are going to do." Underscoring US concerns over independent armed groups, three rockets landed in Baghdad's Green Zone after Panetta's arrival, Iraqi police told the AP news agency. Panetta is holding closed-door meetings with Iraqi officials during his visit and is expected to press them for a decision on whether they will allow US troops to remain in the country past an official withdrawal deadline at the end of the year. The pact between the US and Iraq, called the Status of Forces Agreement, was approved by the Iraqis in December 2008. It mandates that US forces withdraw completely by the end of 2011, but both the US and Iraqi are reportedly considering allowing the US to keeping some troops in the country. However, the presence of US troops on Iraqi soil is widely unpopular, and no Iraqi politician has so far been willing to say publicly that soldiers should remain after 2011. A spokesman for the bloc of politicians loyal to Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has said, of the US, that any country involved in armed activity on Iraqi soil should "understand the consequences," Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reported from Baghdad. The bloc had previously threatened to "unfreeze" the Mahdi Army armed group controlled by Sadr if US troops remained after 2011, but they have withdrawn that threat, Rageh said. The US is in a dilemma whether to stay on or leave Iraq which has come within the influence of Iran. A growing number of Iraq experts believe disintegration of Iraq is inevitable in the long run, while others say that a confederal Iraq might emerge. The question is whether the Sunnis will accept a confederal country without the share of oil resources. Many suggest a plan to carve the country into three regions-- Kurdish in the north, Sunnis in the middle and Shiites in the south. Both the north and south regions are oil-rich while the middle is bereft of such resources.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments