The World - A mixed review of Iraqi security - A report to Congress lauds the nation's army but suggests disbanding a biased police force.
WASHINGTON — The Iraqi National Police will need an overhaul to rid the ranks of sectarian bias, according to an assessment of the Iraqi security forces to be released next week.
The report -- commissioned by Congress and headed by retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones -- gives relatively good marks to the Iraqi army, according to an administration official briefed on the report. It says the army has been well-equipped and -trained and is now conducting operations effectively, the official said.
Its assessment of the police is far more pessimistic. The report suggests starting over with the National Police, possibly by reconfiguring it as a smaller force.
The Iraqi National Police, under the Ministry of Interior, number about 25,000. The report does not recommend such an overhaul of the 325,000 local and provincial police.
The findings of the Iraqi Security Forces Independent Assessment Commission, known informally as the Jones report, comes as President Bush prepares his own assessment of progress in Iraq and is receiving a series of appraisals from military advisors. Bush is to meet with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today in the Pentagon's "tank," as their secret conference room is called.
U.S. military officials have long recognized problems with the Iraqi police, saying that many units were controlled by various sectarian factions. The United States has made several efforts at improving the police, even declaring 2006 the "year of the police" and promising to dramatically increase American training and oversight.
Though acknowledging the problems, the Pentagon on Thursday rejected the Jones recommendation to disband the Iraqi National Police, saying that military officials did not think that starting over would be the best way to improve the force.
"The fact that there is a problem of rampant sectarianism in the National Police shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone," said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary.
Morrell said Iraqi and U.S. officials had been working together to retrain and rebuild units, and noted that nine battalion commanders had been replaced. "We think ultimately [retraining] could turn around the Iraqi National Police and rid them of their sectarian biases."
The report is far more positive about the capabilities of the Iraqi army, although it says the force has logistic problems and units have problems receiving adequate supplies.
