LOC22:49
19:49 GMT
WASHINGTON, April 14 (KUNA) -- Attacks and violence have decreased
"significantly lower" during the past six months than they have been in a
number of years, commander of US forces in the Mosul area Army Colonel Gary
Volesky affirmed Tuesday.
In a video link from Iraq, Volesky told reporters at the Pentagon that the
insurgencies still were able to conduct operations in Mosul due to three main
reasons, the first was "that there was an ineffective provincial government
that didn't represent the majority of the population in Nineveh. And they did
nothing, really, of any measure to improve the people's quality of life."
He added that "the ISF, all the Iraqi security forces, they were still
developing, getting more and more capability, but they were unable really to
handle the threat that (Al-Qaeda in Iraq) AQI and the other insurgents were
able to do while attacking Mosul," and that "there were fewer coalition forces
here in Mosul."
"As we continue to clear more and more neighborhoods, what we've seen is
the enemy has two choices: They can fight, or flee," he stressed.
The Commander indicated that an assessment is being conducted at the
present time with the Iraqi counterparts to determine what the way ahead is
for security in Mosul.
He affirmed that based on that assessment, "a decision will be made what we
will do on 30 June."
Volesky noted that If the Iraqi government believes "we should stay in
Mosul to continue the security progress, we'll support our Iraqi counterparts
past 30 June and continue to build on the momentum that we've got here."
"If we're -- if the decision's made that we leave, then we'll go into the
Nineveh province at large and continue supporting Iraqi security forces," he
added.
He stressed that according to this assessment the US combat soldiers will
stay in Mosul after June 30th, saying "If the Iraqi government wants us to
stay, we will stay ... it's the Iraqis' decision."
A senior U.S. commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno was quoted saying on
Sunday that a decision on withdrawing American forces from Iraq's major cities
by a June 30 deadline will be made by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki
along with the advice of the American military. (end)
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