Citizens Responsible for Iraqi Neighborhoods
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a reconciliation plan, which enables Iraqi citizens from all political groups to hold their security forces responsible for creating peace and tolerance within their own neighborhoods, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said October 2.
The plan, which calls for the creation of joint committees throughout Baghdad made up of clerics, tribal sheiks, representatives from all political blocs, along with the armed forces, is aimed at ending internal battles that prevent the unity Iraq so desperately needs, Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said in a news conference.
"Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, local governance has taken on a whole new meaning here in Iraq," he said. "Iraqis are clearly focused on improving their quality of life and working towards a brighter future." As local governance improves, the Iraqi security forces continue to improve, Caldwell said.
Last month one brigade and three battalions of the Iraqi army assumed the lead in their areas of operation, bringing the total of Iraqi command units to six Iraqi army division headquarters, 30 brigades, and 89 battalions, he said.
Of the 110 bases that coalition forces have occupied since 2003, 52 have been turned over to Iraqi control, he added. In September, Iraqi and coalition forces killed more than 110 terrorists and detained more than 520 terrorist suspects in 164 operations, Caldwell said.
Based on information from a recently detained al Qaeda member, coalition forces on Sept. 28 detained a former driver and personal assistant of Abu Ayyoub al-Masri, the purported leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, along with 31 others during a series of raids in the Baghdad area. Intelligence indicates the individual detained participated in the 2005 bombing of two hotels in Baghdad that killed a total of 16 people and injured 65 others.
Caldwell stressed that while some units within the police force need work, others have proven to be very competent and professional units. "The transition from tyranny to democracy is definitely long and very difficult," he said. "Coalition forces continue to stand behind the government as it deals with tough decisions that lay ahead, and with the Iraqi security forces as they continue to grow in both quality and quantity."
The plan, which calls for the creation of joint committees throughout Baghdad made up of clerics, tribal sheiks, representatives from all political blocs, along with the armed forces, is aimed at ending internal battles that prevent the unity Iraq so desperately needs, Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said in a news conference.
"Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, local governance has taken on a whole new meaning here in Iraq," he said. "Iraqis are clearly focused on improving their quality of life and working towards a brighter future." As local governance improves, the Iraqi security forces continue to improve, Caldwell said.
Last month one brigade and three battalions of the Iraqi army assumed the lead in their areas of operation, bringing the total of Iraqi command units to six Iraqi army division headquarters, 30 brigades, and 89 battalions, he said.
Of the 110 bases that coalition forces have occupied since 2003, 52 have been turned over to Iraqi control, he added. In September, Iraqi and coalition forces killed more than 110 terrorists and detained more than 520 terrorist suspects in 164 operations, Caldwell said.
Based on information from a recently detained al Qaeda member, coalition forces on Sept. 28 detained a former driver and personal assistant of Abu Ayyoub al-Masri, the purported leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, along with 31 others during a series of raids in the Baghdad area. Intelligence indicates the individual detained participated in the 2005 bombing of two hotels in Baghdad that killed a total of 16 people and injured 65 others.
Caldwell stressed that while some units within the police force need work, others have proven to be very competent and professional units. "The transition from tyranny to democracy is definitely long and very difficult," he said. "Coalition forces continue to stand behind the government as it deals with tough decisions that lay ahead, and with the Iraqi security forces as they continue to grow in both quality and quantity."
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