Iraq’s embattled Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki gave an upbeat assessment of the situation in his country on Monday, saying civil war had been prevented and boasting that violence had dropped 75% in the restive provinces of Baghdad and Anbar.
Addressing Parliament, he added, however, that despite the ”noted” improvement in security in Baghdad, Iraqi forces ”needed time to take over the security” of the capital.
Maliki’s assessment came just hours before the top United States commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, was due to give testimony to the US Congress in which he was expected to plead for more time to pacify the nation.
”We have succeeded in preventing Iraq from sliding into a civil war in spite of all the destabilising actions by local and international groups,” Maliki told legislators.
He said violence levels in Baghdad and the western province of Anbar had dropped 75% since the US troop ”surge” was launched in February.
More than 14 000 fighters linked to al-Qaeda have turned against violence and joined the Iraqi armed forces, he added.
”The number of fighters from armed groups linked to al-Qaeda who have joined the Iraqi security services now totals 14 178.”
Presenting his report card to Parliament, Maliki said about 6 000 families had returned to their homes in Baghdad, while 5 941 suspected ”terrorists” had been detained.
Of these, 3 396 had been released, he said. A total of 1 914 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had been defused and ”thousands” of arms caches recovered.
Additionally, 652 ”terrorists” were killed in clashes with the Iraqi security forces, 262 car bombs were defused, 27 500 tribal volunteers joined the fight against al-Qaeda while 99 373 weapons were seized.
”Since the launch of the operation, the Iraqi government has restored semi-normal life to parts of Baghdad,” said Maliki, giving a performance update for the period between February 14 when the ”surge” began and August 14.
Petraeus faces a hostile reception from the Democrats who control Congress over when the 168 000 US troops in Iraq can come home from a four-year war that has killed more than 3 700 soldiers, tens of thousands of Iraqis and cost half a trillion dollars.
The general is expected to argue that President George Bush’s strategy of surging 28 500 extra troops into Iraq since February has slashed sectarian violence and should be extended.
Baghdad, in particular, has been engulfed in brutal sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shi’ites and militia infighting which has left thousands dead since February 2006.
The US and Iraqi military crackdown has reduced high-profile car bomb attacks in the capital but insurgents have managed to trigger them in other remote areas of the country.
The deadliest such attack was on August 14 when four lorries packed with explosives were detonated in two northern villages targeting the ancient Yazidi community.
More than 400 people were killed in the bombings, the deadliest attack in the world since the September 11 2001 attacks in the US.
Petraeus is to be followed before Congress by Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Baghdad. Their joint assessments are expected to influence future White House strategy in Iraq.
After their testimony, Bush is expected to deliver a report on the war to lawmakers by September 15.
Bush plans a national address this week to lay out his vision for future involvement in Iraq.
Meanwhile, a suicide truck bomb killed 10 people and wounded 60 in northern Iraq on Monday, police in Baghdad said. — AFP
