The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
1492.
On 18
September, a JIC Assessment stated:
“Locally
raised army units in the South will continue to need coalition
mentors and to
operate
alongside more experienced Iraqi forces to manage security for the
rest of
this year.
By early 2009, provided JAM remains quiescent, they will be able to
cope
with only
limited MNF mentoring … In the unlikely event of a widespread
return to
violence we
would expect local units to call for reinforcement by more
experienced
Iraqi
forces in the first instance. But they might ultimately still need
to call on MNF
for specialist
assistance.”1365
1493.
On police
effectiveness, the JIC Assessment stated:
“Interior
Minister Boulani has taken steps to address police
ineffectiveness.
However,
despite an increase in MNF mentors and better vetting of police
recruits,
we expect
militia loyalty and corruption in the local police to remain
serious problems
[…] The
Army will have to retain overall responsibility for security for at
least the next
few years.”
1494.
Mr John
Hutton, the Defence Secretary, visited Iraq in
October.1366
In a letter
to
Mr Brown,
he wrote:
“The Iraqi
Security Forces (ISF), the Army in particular, are looking
confident and
capable.
Their show of force in the areas which I visited, where they took
the lead
in
providing my security, was genuinely impressive. There is no doubt
that Basra
itself has
been transformed and the ISF now have complete freedom of
movement
throughout
the city. While they do not yet have all the capabilities that we
would like
to see in a
fully‑formed Division, and there is important work still to do, we
will soon
have
reached the point where we can say with confidence that we have
fulfilled our
training
mission for 14 Division …”
1495.
On 16
December, the British Embassy Office Basra reported that the US
military
police
teams and IPAs had almost reached full deployment.1367
That was
followed by
the
deployment of US Border Transition Teams and Port of Entry
Transition Teams in
1496.
The UK police
mission continued to deliver training in community‑based
policing
and
forensics throughout 2009.1369
A review of
UK support to the IPS was undertaken
in November
2009 and recommended that the programme be closed at the end of
the
financial
year. The police mission in Basra was commended as a “politically
useful”
extension
of the Consulate staff.
1365
JIC
Assessment, 18 September 2008, ‘Iraq: Security in the
South’.
1366
Letter
Hutton to Brown, 23 October 2008, [untitled].
1367
eGram
49767/08 Basra to FCO, 16 December 2008, ‘Iraq: Basra Weekly Update
– 16 December’.
1368
Report
Salmon, 15 May 2009, ‘COMUKAMPHIBFOR OP TELIC 12/13 (HQ MND(SE)
Post Operational
Report
(POR)’.
1369
Paper
Stabilisation Unit [junior official] and Howlett‑Bolton, 27
November 2009, ‘Review of the support
to the
Ministry of Interior and Iraqi Police Service
Programme’.
400