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U.S. Deems Baghdad Key Obstacle To Withdrawal
The Bush administration has quietly determined that the government in Baghdad poses a significant obstacle to any U.S. withdrawal plan. Administration officials acknowledged that nepotism, corruption and ethnic loyalties have hampered the emergence of an effective central government in Iraq. They said that despite more than two years of U.S. training, many Iraqi officials remain committed to militias and tribes rather than a post-Saddam Hussein democracy. As a result, officials said, Iraqi military and police forces remain without proper equipment and authority required to assume security responsibility from the U.S. military. They acknowledge that the choice of officers in the military and police has been based on cronyism as well as ethnic and tribal affiliations. "The soldiers in the field are doing a very good job at the tactical level," Gen. John Vines, the outgoing commander of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, said. "But tactical success can't be translated into operational strategic success until we have ministries and contingents sustained in the longer term." Posted by: Fred 2006-02-04 |
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