Washington – Iraq’s security forces have made “uneven progress” and will be unable to take over security on their own in the next 12 to 18 months, according to an independent assessment.
The study, by a 20-member panel led by retired Gen. James Jones, found that Iraq’s army shows promise of becoming a viable, independent security force with time. But the group offers a scathing assessment of Baghdad’s Ministry of Interior and recommends scrapping the national police force, which it describes as dysfunctional and infiltrated by militias.
The review is one of several studies that Congress directed in May, when it agreed to fund the war for several more months but demanded that the Bush administration and independent groups assess U.S. progress in the four-year war. A copy of the first installment of the report, which includes about 150 pages, was obtained by The Associated Press.
Jones, a former Marine Corps commandant, is to testify before Congress today. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other officials have been briefed on the study, officials said last week.
