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Officials question readiness of Iraqi forces

A suicide bombing that killed 61 Iraqi army recruits in Baghdad on Tuesday is raising fears about whether the Iraqis can handle their own security as the U.S. military prepares to end combat operations in two weeks.

Mithal al-Alusi, a former Iraqi parliamentarian, said that Tuesday's bombing showed a lack of "professionalism" as Iraqi security forces were unable to protect even their own recruits.

The bomber appears to have taken a spot in a line of men standing outside a recruiting office. The attack was one of the deadliest in months and comes amid a spike in violence that some worry could cause a resurgence in sectarian fighting.

"I don't want to see a foreign army in Iraq," al-Alusi said. "But it's unrealistic to think we will be ready to secure Iraq without the Americans by the end of next year."

By Aug. 31, the U.S. military will reduce its troop numbers in Iraq to 50,000 — down from more than 160,000 troops in 2007 — and shift from combat operations to training and assisting Iraqi security forces. The drawdown is the first step to the eventual withdrawal of all troops by the end of 2011. Some question the wisdom of the plan.

James Carafano, a defense analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, says Iraq is ready for the Aug. 31 drawdown.

"But the question is what's the next point? They are not ready for zero troops in Iraq," he says.

President Obama is committed to the 2011 withdrawal, according to White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton.

"There obviously are still people who want to derail the advances that the Iraqi people have made toward democracy," Burton said. "But (the Iraqis) are firmly on track."

Despite the recent killings, the overall level of violence is down about 90 percent from a high 2006, the Pentagon says. In recent weeks, terrorists have conducted several deadly attacks in Iraq, killing dozens of Iraqi troops and civilians as Iraqi politicians have yet to agree on a new prime minister.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently said that the administration is willing to consider U.S. involvement in Iraq beyond 2011 if asked by the Iraqis. But he said a new government has to be formed before those discussions can start.

Ambassador Christopher Hill, who returned to Washington recently after 16 months as the top American envoy in Iraq, said that despite the recent rise in violence, Iraq is "increasingly stable."

"Iraq ... as I've often said, offers no refuge for those in need of instant gratification," Hill said. "It requires you to stay at it."