U.S. says Iraqi forces still need American help (Reuters)

                   
yahoo.com     24-Jun-2008            

By Kristin Roberts 18 minutes ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraqi forces have improved but still cannot operate without significant help, according to a senior U.S. commander and two government reports on Monday. Iraqi troops are not ready to take full responsibility for security and combat operations in any part of the country, said Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, the No. 2 U.S. military commander in Iraq. "There are no areas that we would be willing to separate out right now to dedicate specifically to the Iraqi security forces," Austin told reporters at the Pentagon. "They are not there yet." The Pentagon, however, said Iraqi forces could be "mostly self-sufficient by the end of 2008." In its quarterly report to Congress on Iraq, the Pentagon said recent Iraqi-led operations against Shi'ite militias in Basra and Baghdad's Sadr City... [read full story]                    

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Agency disputes claims from report on Iraq

guardian.co.uk     24-Jun-2008          

Although bloodshed is on the wane in Iraq, Baghdad has made scant progress toward self-sufficiency and the Bush administration has no workable strategy to achieve that goal, US government auditors said yesterday. The audit...                    

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US agency disputes claims from Pentagon report on Iraq

guardian.co.uk     24-Jun-2008          

Although bloodshed is on the wane in Iraq, Baghdad has made scant progress toward self-sufficiency and the Bush administration has no workable strategy to achieve that goal, US government auditors said yesterday. The audit...                    

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Optimism from Pentagon at fall in Iraq violence

guardian.co.uk     24-Jun-2008          

Violence in Iraq has dropped considerably in recent months, as Iraqi military cooperation and a willingness among Iraqis to settle differences without violence have led to a broad decrease in civilian deaths, according to the...                    

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