Report: Iraqi forces lacking

0 Comments | USA TODAY, April, 2008 | by Matt Kelley

WASHINGTON -- Iraq's military and police forces need years of improvements before they have enough recruits, officers and support systems to secure the country, the government's Iraq reconstruction watchdog says in a report to be released today.

The report from Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen analyzed the Iraqi security forces as part of a review of the Pentagon's quarterly Iraq progress reports to Congress. Relying on Iraqi government figures, the latest such update in March says about 530,000 people are on the Iraqi security forces' payroll.

However, a "substantial number" of people on the payrolls of the Iraqi police and military have been killed or wounded, are on leave or never showed up for work, the inspector general's...