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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared Scientists find new superbug spreading from India 11 Aug 2010 Florida AG proposes tougher illegal immigrant curbs 11 Aug 2010 UPDATE 1-Mortgage rates hit fresh lows on soft U.S. economy 10:48am EDT Few Chernobyl radiation risks from Russia fires 10:23am EDT Attractive women overlooked for certain jobs? 09 Aug 2010 Analysis: Deflation poses threat to big-ticket retailers 11 Aug 2010 GM CEO Whitacre steps down as IPO engine revs up 4:40pm EDT Jobless claims jump shows labor market ailing 11:08am EDT Stocks end lower for third day on jobs data and Cisco | Video 4:30pm EDT Cancer cells slurp up fructose, US study finds 02 Aug 2010 Scientists find new superbug spreading from India 11 Aug 2010 Cancer cells slurp up fructose, US study finds 02 Aug 2010 Award winners 30 Jun 2010 Florida AG proposes tougher illegal immigrant curbs 11 Aug 2010 UPDATE 1-Mortgage rates hit fresh lows on soft U.S. economy 10:48am EDT What do food allergy labels really mean? 11 Aug 2010 Attractive women overlooked for certain jobs? 09 Aug 2010 Ecuador rocked by 6.9 quake, no major damage 10:43am EDT Pictures of the month: July 03 Aug 2010 GM CEO Whitacre steps down as IPO engine revs up 4:40pm EDT Commentary Iraq, America and hired guns In the often perverse logic that has driven America’s war in Iraq, as U.S. soldiers are withdrawn the number of private security contractors is set to rise, writes Bernd Debusmann. Commentary Are the Iraqi security forces ready or not? Digg This Tweet This Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Related News U.S. upbeat on Iraq despite violence, deadlock 3:52am EDT Iraq general says army not ready for U.S. pullout 12:52am EDT Militant attack kills 8 Iraqi soldiers and 3 others Wed, Aug 11 2010 U.S. general eyes "first steps" toward Iraqi government Sun, Aug 8 2010 Iraq forces take over from last U.S. combat brigade Sat, Aug 7 2010 Related Topics World » An Iraqi soldier mans a machine gun atop an armoured vehicle to secure a street in Baghdad's Adhamiya district, August 1, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Ameen By Jim Loney BAGHDAD | Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:49am EDT BAGHDAD (Reuters) - With Washington determined to stick to its timetable for a pullout, an Iraqi general has called into question whether his troops are ready to defend Iraq against a stubborn insurgency and external threats. U.S. military leaders, engaged in a massive troop withdrawal that will see American forces reduced to 50,000 by month's end from about 150,000 at their peak, say Iraq's army and police are up to the challenge of militant attacks. Under the security pact between Baghdad and Washington, all U.S. troops are scheduled to leave by the end of next year. But Lieutenant General Babakir Zebari, Iraq's senior military officer, told Agence France Presse at a defense conference in Baghdad on Wednesday the Iraqi army would not be ready to ensure security until 2020. "At this point, the withdrawal is going well, because they are still here," Zebari was quoted as saying. "But the problem will start after 2011 -- the politicians must find other ways to fill the void after 2011. "If I were asked about the withdrawal, I would say to politicians: the U.S. army must stay until the Iraqi army is fully ready in 2020." Washington plans to leave 50,000 troops in Iraq to support and train Iraqi forces, which now number about 440,000 police and 220,000 soldiers. But Iraq has only a bare-bones air force and navy, and U.S. officials concede that strengthening its ability to defend its borders is a work in progress. "WORK TO BE DONE" "The Iraqi Security Forces are in the lead for internal security and fully capable of providing internal security," U.S. General Steve Lanza said in response to Zebari's comments. "Iraq is rapidly building conventional capabilities to defend against external threats every day and there is much work to be done before the end of the current mission of U.S. Forces in December 2011," he said. Violence has fallen sharply since the height of sectarian violence in 2006-07 but Iraq still sees an average of 15 militant attacks a day, according to U.S. figures. American soldiers will train and support the Iraqis, provide air support and logistics help, and work as "partners" in counter-terrorism operations, Lieutenant General Robert Cone, a top U.S. commander, said this week. "It is very unlikely that the Iraqi security forces will ask for assistance in the form of combat soldiers ... because there's 660,000 Iraqis in uniform today defending this country," Cone said, adding that the Iraqis are doing "exactly the right things" against militant attacks. But Iraqi military analyst Adil al-Azawi estimated the army's readiness for internal threats at about 60 to 70 percent and said it was not close to being prepared to defend borders. "The statement of Lieutenant General Babakir Zebari is professional and has a high degree of credibility," said Azawi, a former army colonel. "The Iraqi army does not have even 20 percent of the arms of the armies of neighboring countries." Top military officials have said full modernization of a force rebuilt from the ground up following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein will take another ten years. For example, Iraq has ordered 140 Abrams tanks but got its first shipment of 11 just recently. Iraqi government spokesman Ali a-Dabbagh told al-Arabiya TV that Zebari's comments were a personal view and said government policy dictated no U.S. soldier would remain after 2011. "Politicians respect the point of view of military personnel but in the end, the decision is made by politicians," he said. He called the decision on a complete U.S. withdrawal by the end of next year "final." But Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, in an interview with Reuters last week, appeared to leave the door open to a renegotiation of the security pact when he said he hoped the next premier would not have to propose an extension. (Additional reporting by Waleed Ibrahim and Muhanad Mohammed; editing by Andrew Roche) World Add a Comment *We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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