From: "Rich Gauszka" 


"Mark"  wrote in message news:4400f529{at}w3....
> Wow Rich, I just saw someone somewhere else quoting that "no independent
> battalions" misnomer, using that same snippet you did (but from a
> different source) so I actually just followed your link. Near the
> beginning it says: "The officials said the Iraqi security forces show no
> signs of cracking but rather have taken the lead in enforcing a curfew and
> restoring order in Samarra, where the bombing of a revered Shiite mosque
> this week set off a wave of reprisal killings..." then paragraphs
> immediately preceding your clip tell a completely different story:
>
> ====
> The report detailed the growth of the Iraqi security forces, which now
> number 230,000, officials said.
> It said 98 Iraqi army battalions are conducting counter-insurgency
> operations, up by 11 per cent from October.
>
> Of those, 53 battalions are considered capable of leading operations with
> the support of the US military, compared to 36 in October.
>
> The US military has put 37 Iraqi battalions in charge of their own
> "battle-space," an area that can range in size from a city
neighbourhood
> to a rural district, the report said.
>
> ===
>
> 
>

Why? - I gave you the full link.  Why do you think the 'lone' battalion was
downgraded? The key word is downgraded ( from a status it previously had )

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