The Iraqi Defense Ministry has stated that the withdrawal of military forces from the cities centers and their re-deployment outside of them depends on the state of security and stability in the country.
The commander in chief of the armed forces of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki announced on January 9 the formation of joint committees from the interior and defense ministries to transfer the internal security responsibilities to the forces of the Interior Ministry.

Forces from the Defense Ministry are mainly responsible for managing security in all provinces through the operations command with the support of the Interior Ministry forces to face the armed groups linked to al-Qaeda.

Ministry spokesman Colonel Dia al-Wakil said: "The withdrawal process of forces from the cities and their redeployment is done gradually and the security and stability determine the speed of its completion."

Iraq is still suffering from security tension and its cities are witnessing almost daily bloody bombings that target government troops and officials in power.

According to the Iraqi Defense Ministry, the army currently includes 130,000 elements, including 115,000 in ground forces, 700 in air forces, 1,100 in the navy, 15,000 in special forces and 11,000 in the various combat units.

According to the ministry, the current Iraqi army includes 114 combat battalions, including an anti-terrorism battalion linked to the office of the commander in chief of the armed forces Maliki, Saeqa battalion and eight regiments for strategic infrastructure.



AKnews