AlJazeera.net (Qatar) / AFP : "Iraqi security situation 'tenuous'"

Iraqi security situation 'tenuous'

 By Ahmed Janabi

Iraqi forces have been fully in charge of security throughout the country since June 30 [AFP]

The Iraqi army and security forces have overcome serious challenges in the country since the US military withdrew from major urban centres a month ago, senior Iraqi officials have told Al Jazeera.

Tahseen al-Shaikhly, a spokesperson for the Law Enforcement Security Campaign, an ongoing joint security operation involving the ministries of justice, defence and the interior, says Iraqi forces passed two crucial "tests" in the past month.

"The first was on July 17, the ill-omened anniversary of the coup d'etat which brought the Baath Party to power in 1968, and the second was the anniversary of Imam Mousa al-Kadhim's death. In past years, these two dates were marked by dozens of attacks and many deaths, but this year they passed smoothly and without incident," al-Shaikhly said.

However, he cautioned that without US military support, Iraqi security forces continue to face security threats.

"Remember, the country's forces had to be reconstituted following the US invasion in 2003."

Despite al-Shaikhly's vote of confidence in Iraq's forces, local media - particularly, opposition newspapers - have been sceptical that a security mechanism will work in the long-term without political and national reconciliation. 

Situation unstable

A wave of armed robberies have hit Iraqi
cities in the recent days

Walid al-Zubaidi, an Iraqi political analyst, believes local security forces face the daunting challenge of helping Iraqis overcome a "climate of fear" in the country and that the government must....................
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http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/07/200973095821...