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| AP: Wilson Says U.S. Needs Change of Strategy in Iraq |
December 30, 2006 |
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By Sue Major Holmes
Associated Press
Rep. Heather Wilson, wrapping up a two-day visit to Iraq, said Saturday the United States needs to change its strategy to protect its interests in the region.
The situation in Iraq is "very dangerous and not improving, particularly in Baghdad with respect to the sectarian violence,`` Wilson, R-N.M., said from Kuwait after talking to troops and commanders at four separate locations in Iraq.
Al-Qaida may have initiated the violence early on, but now it`s self-sustaining and increasing, she said.
A temporary surge in U.S. troop numbers won`t help, said Wilson, an Air Force veteran and member of the House Intelligence Committee. Rather, she suggested the United States concentrate on intelligence, civil affairs and training Iraqi troops and police to take over their own nation`s security and the lead against sectarian violence.
That would mean a significant change both in strategy and the kinds of American troops sent to Iraq, and might even mean a decrease in American numbers, Wilson said.
"I don`t believe increasing U.S. forces in Baghdad will secure the city, and will be wrong way to go,`` she said. "At this point, we cannot do for the Iraqis what the Iraqis won`t do for themselves.``
Wilson concluded that Iraq`s central government is weak, that elements within it are loyal to separate factions instead of to the government, and that police forces are infiltrated by members of various militias.
She also said the American government needs to clarify its own interests in Iraq — "what we need, not what we want.``
The United States has vital interests in not allowing Iraq to become a safe haven for Al-Qaida and in making sure that Iraq is not a source of instability in the region, Wilson said.
"We need a hard-nosed assessment of what we need, not what we wish. ... Sometimes I think national objectives in Iraq are described in pretty broad terms. I want Iraqis to live in a free and democratic society, but that`s not what we use the military for,`` she said. "That`s not a vital American interest.``
Wilson acknowledged some senior officers in Iraq believe the U.S. should provide security, clear areas of insurgents and subsequently hold them. She said, however, she believes finding Iraqi leaders to secure and build their own communities is "much more likely to be effective.``
For example, some Sunni leaders in Anbar Province have banded together to rid themselves of Al-Qaida and are recruiting their own young people into the region`s police force, she said.
"That`s much more effective than trying to get them to tell us where the bad guys are,`` said Wilson, who said she went to Iraq to look at what the United States` strategy should be and to judge the will of the Iraqi government to quell insurgency.
Wilson visited American troops near the Iranian border, in the Green Zone in Baghdad, in Anbar Province and a base north of Baghdad, where troops from Cannon Air Force Base in southern New Mexico are stationed.
Cannon troops surprised her by singing "Happy Birthday`` to her; the congresswoman turned 46 on Saturday.
Wilson was visiting U.S. troops when the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was announced. While she said she heard some celebratory gunfire, a member of the Kentucky National Guard on his third tour in Iraq told her celebrations were smaller than when Saddam was convicted. This time, it was more an attitude that it was time to move forward, she said. |
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