Iraqi Leader Asks U.S. for Help to Train Police Forces, Officials Say
DAVOS, Switzerland — Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq privately asked Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter this week for additional help training Iraqi police forces used to secure cities that have been retaken from the Islamic State, senior Defense Department officials said.
The request opens the door for the United States and other countries — particularly Italy, which has expertise in police training — to become more involved in assisting the Iraqis.
Mr. Abadi told Mr. Carter that even the minimal training the police forces had received significantly enhanced their ability to maintain control of the city of Ramadi, which the Iraqi government reclaimed last month, the officials said.
The newly trained police forces have held the city well enough that some of Iraq’s most capable military forces, which captured the city, have been able to leave Ramadi sooner than expected and take on new missions, said one of the Defense Department officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the conversation on bilateral security.
Mr. Carter and Mr. Abadi discussed the additional training in a private meeting on Friday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Mr. Carter told Mr. Abadi that he agreed with the importance of expanding police training, and that he would work with other members of the international coalition to defeat the Islamic State to accelerate it, the officials said.
However, it is not clear whether the United States, Italy or any other member of the coalition will send additional troops to train the police in support of Iraq’s fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
The Italian national police conducted the previous training, which lasted just a month. It included lessons on how to conduct patrols, including at night, and basic skills like how to administer first aid and carry an automatic weapon.
The United States has roughly 3,500 troops in Iraq, and they are mainly advising and training the Iraqis; a small group is conducting special operations missions. The Iraqi government said last year that Italy had pledged to deploy about 100 trainers.
The Iraqis living in the areas controlled by the Islamic State are predominantly Sunnis who are suspicious of Iraq’s Shiite leaders, like Mr. Abadi, and the Iraqi military is largely made up of Shiites.
American and Iraqi officials believe the police forces — which are mostly Sunnis — are integral to winning over these people.
The request from Mr. Abadi comes as Mr. Carter and other Obama administration officials try to convince a weary American public that they have an adequate plan to defeat the Islamic State — one that can succeed without reintroducing large numbers of American ground forces to Iraq.
In the face of widespread criticism from Republicans — particularly the party’s presidential candidates — Mr. Carter has in recent weeks painted a more upbeat picture of the military efforts.
After Iraqi forces recaptured Ramadi, Mr. Carter said there was more pressure on the Islamic State now than at any other period since the group took wide swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The mission, Mr. Carter contends, has gained substantial momentum, and the coalition should seize on it to accelerate the military campaign.
The ultimate goal is to retake the cities of Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, Mr. Carter has said.
Next month, Mr. Carter will convene a meeting in Brussels with the defense ministers of 27 countries that are part of the coalition to defeat the Islamic State to see how they can contribute to the efforts to destroy it.
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