BAGHDAD -- With just over three months until the security agreement between the U.S. and Iraqi governments ends the U.S. military presence in Iraq, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, spokesman for United States Forces-Iraq, remains confident while the transitioning and re-posturing of troops are well underway in the country.
In a recent interview with a CBS affiliate in Roanoke, Va., Buchanan shared how U.S. military presence has helped Iraq but is now on track to withdraw from the country, leaving trained local national security forces here.
“I’m very optimistic about the future,” said Buchanan. “We’ve really helped the economy, the development of democracy, and the development of the Iraqi Security Forces.”
“The Iraqis now have opportunities they’ve never had in the past,” said Buchanan. “It’s up to them to walk through the door we’ve opened for them.”
According to recent reports, U.S. forces and provincial reconstruction teams have provided training for more than 33,000 teachers, built more than 4,000 schools and created more than 48,000 jobs in agriculture, to date, which has contributed to the country’s unemployment rate dropping from 28 percent to 15 percent.
Since the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the start of Operation New Dawn in September 2010, USF-I has ended combat operations and has been operating as advisers and trainers, assisting Iraqi security forces.
“The Iraqi security forces have had the lead for security in their country since the summer of 2010," said Buchanan. “They’re actually doing a pretty good job.”
U.S. forces have remained as assistants to the ISF and have already started to end their security training missions at most major bases. Most recently, the Iraqi Police Criminal Justice Center, which is the academy in Baghdad, where U.S. forces have trained more than 2,500 Iraqi police officers in advanced policing skills, ceased all U.S. military training after two years at Victory Base Complex, the former location of USF-I headquarters.
“We’ve lived up to every single part of this security agreement, and we’re committed to living up to the last part, which includes that we transition fully to a civilian authority by the end of the year,” said Buchanan.
The U.S. and Iraqi governments have not made a decision on whether to withdraw the 45,000 U.S. troops still in Iraq or leave as many as 10,000 to continue training missions throughout the country.
| Date Taken: | 09.20.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2011 10:36 |
| Story ID: | 77306 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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