By NNN-KUNA
Washington : US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Iraqi Defence Minister Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji have held discussions that continue to lay the foundation for a normalised long-term security relationship between Iraq and the United States.
Since the year-long US troop surge into Iraq, the number of improvised explosive device attacks per week has declined by half; Anbar province, once a stronghold of al Qaeda, has been reclaimed; high-profile attacks, car bombs and suicide attacks are down 60 per cent since March; and civilian deaths are down 75 per cent from a year ago, “although still far too high,” Gates said during a joint Pentagon briefing with Mufriji.
Over the past year, Iraqi security forces have grown in capability, confidence and size, expanding by more than 100,000, Gates said.
“Iraqis have assumed security responsibility for nine of 18 provinces, and we expect this transfer to continue,” he said.
“As significant as the progress has been, the deaths of nine US servicemen announced yesterday (Wednesday) is a stark reminder of the work that remains to be done and of the risks that coalition and Iraqi troops take every day.” Most of the US troops died when a booby-trapped house exploded in Diyala province.
The security gains made possible by the US troop surge have created an opportunity this year for Iraq to move forward on economic, political and legislative fronts, Gates said. “Many local Iraqi groups have started to address some of these issues in their own communities,” he said.
“For 2008, the challenge is to link these actions with the government in Baghdad in a way that strengthens both local and national government.”