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U.S. Will Shift From Fighting to Training

Jan-18-2005 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT

One 1/25 SBCT commander is quoted in the following story.

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By Mark Mazzetti, Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — U.S. military commanders increasingly believe that American troops will never entirely defeat Iraqi insurgents and now plan to reduce offensive operations and focus on training Iraqi security forces.

Under the plan, expected to be launched after the nation's Jan. 30 parliamentary election, up to half of the U.S. troops in Iraq eventually could be enlisted to train police officers, national guard troops and other forces, said a senior military official in Baghdad, speaking on condition of anonymity. [...]

Mass defections of Iraqi troops are still frequent. In the northern city of Mosul, the 4th Brigade of the Iraqi national guard has lost 50% of its personnel, according to a U.S. Embassy official in Baghdad.

In November, thousands of police officers in Mosul fled after insurgents overran their stations. That force has yet to be reconstituted.

"In terms of [training] police, it's definitely an uphill battle," said Army Lt. Col. Emmett Schaill of the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division in Mosul.

The focus on training after the election, Schaill said, is meant to bolster Iraqis for an eventual transfer of authority. "It's a transition to empower them," he said.


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