A  Missouri Congressman who has helped investigate the readiness of Iraqi citizens to handle their own security worries about the progress–or lack of it. Congressman Todd Akin of St. Louis, who has been the top Republican on a special House Committee investigating the issue, says his impression is that the Iraqi people understand the concept of a soldier….but they have trouble understanding the concept of police.

Akin says this country has spent 19-billion dollars in the last four years training about 345-thousand Iraqi Security Force members. He says; the only variable is when and how security responsibilities to the Iraqi people.  Akin thinks turning security over to Iraqi forces just for the sake of doing it will not stabilize Iraq. In fact, he says, it might slow down stabilization. 

The former commander of the International Security Transition Command, Lt. General Martin Dempsey, has told the committee the time is nearing when U-S forces can stop handling the tactical jobs such as manning checkpoints and running patrols. But he can’t put a timetable on that shift..

The subcommittee’s report says the billions spent on training Iraqi forces have produced uncertain results because there is no way to track those who’ve been trained   The chairman of the committee says, in fact, some of the money spent on training possible police officers for Iraq might actually have trained some people who are considered the enemy.

 

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