Home » Archives » "Generals doubt Iraqis can hold Diyala gains"

Generals doubt Iraqis can hold Diyala gains

Jun-24-2007 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT , 4/2 SBCT

By Lauren Frayer - The Associated Press

BAQUBAH, Iraq — The U.S. commander of a new offensive north of Baghdad, reclaiming insurgent territory day by day, said Sunday his Iraqi partners may be too weak to hold onto the gains.

The Iraqi military does not even have enough ammunition, said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek: “They’re not quite up to the job yet.”

His counterpart south of Baghdad seemed to agree, saying U.S. troops are too few to garrison the districts newly rid of insurgents. “It can’t be coalition [U.S.] forces. We have what we have. There’s got to be more Iraqi security forces,” said Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch.

The two commanders spoke after a deadly day for the U.S. military in Iraq. At least 12 soldiers were killed on Saturday from roadside bombings and other causes, leaving at least 31 dead for the week.

In the U.S. offensive dubbed Operation Arrowhead Ripper, some 10,000 American troops were in their sixth day of combat to drive Sunni al-Qaida militants from their stronghold in Baqubah, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad.

Between 60 and 100 suspected al-Qaida fighters and one U.S. soldier have been killed so far in the fighting in western Baqubah, said Bednarek, the 25th Infantry Division’s deputy commander for operations. About 60 insurgents were detained, he said.

He estimated between 50 and 100 insurgents were inside a U.S. security cordon in the city. “We’re closing the noose,” Bednarek told The Associated Press. “It’s the hardcore fighters left — guys who will die for their cause.”

He said U.S. forces now control about 60 percent of the city’s west side, but “the challenge now is, how do you hold onto the terrain you’ve cleared? You have to do that shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraqi security forces. And they’re not quite up to the job yet.”

[...]


Advertisements