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Washington: The US military does not have an accurate tally of the number of Iraqi security forces who have been trained or who are present for duty, according to an analysis of Pentagon reports by an oversight agency that was released on Thursday.
The study said some Iraqi soldiers and police who were killed or wounded in action remain on the payroll so their families can receive financial compensation, skewing the statistics. The study was done by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.
Reinforcing earlier findings, Inspector General Stuart W. Bowen Jr and other officials said the data being provided to the US military on the status of the Iraqi security forces is inaccurate.
"If you say you have ten people ready to fight but three are injured or killed, you don't have ten people ready, you have seven," said Kristine R. Belise, a spokeswoman for the inspector general. "It is a very misguided and misleading number."
The study, which reviews Pentagon progress reports on Iraq, also notes that there is no way of knowing how many of those who were trained remain in the force. As a result, the US military lacks an assessment of training rates for the Iraqi security force.
The readiness of the Iraqi army and police forces is a critical issue for the US military.
Congress has spent $20.4 billion (Dh75 billion) on Iraqi forces since 2004. The current strategy calls for American troops to step back gradually into "overwatch" roles as the Iraqi forces take greater responsibility. Until the Iraqi forces become more capable, military officials have said significant cuts in US forces would be risky.
Problems
The Pentagon has often noted problems with the Iraqi security forces. The military's own quarterly progress reports have highlighted deficiencies in assessing their size and readiness.
Like previous Defence Department reports, the special inspector general's study found a shortage of Iraqi officers. The police are short 16,377 officers, and the army needs another 3,900 officers.
Current goals of an Iraqi Security Force of up to 646,000 by 2010 might not be adequate, the study concludes.
"The current force structure has been directed toward internal security challenges," Bowen said.
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