Chairman of Joint Chiefs Pace: Number of Iraqi battalions declines from 10 to 6, calls it a 'minor variation'

Above: Members of Eighth Iraqi Army General Othman's Personal Security Detail simulate house clearings near Camp Echo in May.

Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, revealed that the ability of Iraqi forces to take over independent security of their own country has dramatically dropped in recent months — from 10 Iraqi battalions in March to six today.

The congressionally mandated assessment of progress in Iraq released Thursday said the number of Iraqi forces capable of independent operation had declined, but it provided no details. Pace’s numbers underscored the challenges in Iraq, and the dismal progress the Iraqis have made over the last six months in their effort to stand up their own army so the U.S. troops can go home.

Pace, however, said there was no need to be “overly concerned” about the decline in readiness because it reflects that the Iraqi soldiers are out doing battlefield operations.

“As units operate in the field, they have casualties, they consume vehicles and equipment,” he said, adding that while the U.S. wants to see the numbers improve, “it is a valid thing to chase, but we shouldn’t put too much weight on minor variations” in the numbers.

Read the rest at Army Times

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