"A primary mission of U.S. military strategy in Iraq is the training of competent Iraqi security forces."
"By the end of 2006, the Multi-National Security Transition Command–Iraq under American leadership is expected to have trained and equipped a target number of approximately 326,000 Iraqi security services."
ISG page 12
At dawn today in Ishaqi province US forces conducted a raid on two houses, killing 32 people. The victims included 6 children and 8 women. Eyewitnesses say the victims were shot at close range and then the houses bombed to cover the evidence.
Ishaqi massacre resumed (archive)Warning: Graphic
BBC: Ishaqi Massacre; March 2006
"The Americans have done this before but they always deny it," Ishaqi Mayor Amer Alwan told Reuters by telephone. "I want the world to know what's happening here." Reuters
Complaints that unjustified killings by U.S. troops are common have soured Iraqis' sentiment towards the U.S. presence in Iraq and prompted Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki earlier this year to say he was losing patience over such reports.
Nowhere in the Iraq Study Group Report does it mention atrocities committed on the Iraqi people by coalition forces.
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki says the murder of Iraqi civilians has become a "daily phenomenon" by American troops who "do not respect the Iraqi people."
"They crush them with their vehicles and kill them just on suspicion. This is completely unacceptable," Maliki said. The White House tried to play down Maliki's comments, saying the prime minister was "misquoted" although Maliki himself has yet to made such a public claim.
''Can anyone blame Iraqis for joining the resistance now?'' Mustafa al-Ani, an Iraqi analyst living in Dubai, told The Chicago Tribune. ''The resistance and the terrorists alike are feeding off the misbehavior of the American soldiers.''
Violence Against Iraqi Civilians A 'Daily Phenomenon'
Talkleft; Fri Jun 02, 2006
Nowhere in the Iraq Study Group Report did I find the suggestion that US forces pull out immediately and let the UN forces move in to deal with security and reconstruction.
- Staying in Iraq is not an option
- To this end, the Iraqi government would be wise to request the short-term services of an international force to police the country during and immediately after the American withdrawal. Specifically it should be possible under the aegis of the Arab League or the United Nations...
Out of Iraq
George McGovern & William Polk
I did find this, however, in the ISG, and I find echoes of Bush's statement that Iraq is a problem for the next president, and Rumsfeld saying we'll be there for a long, long time to come. Twelve years?? Fifty???
Because of the role and responsibility of the United States in Iraq, and the commitments our government has made, the United States has special obligations. Our country must address as best it can Iraq’s many problems. The United States has long-term relationships and interests at stake in the Middle East, and needs to stay engaged. ISG page 4
Riverbend says OUT NOW. So do I.
Out Now