(NSI News Source Info) TALIL, Iraq - July 29, 2009: U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates landed in Iraq today on an unannounced visit to review a newly converted advisory brigade that represents a bellwether for the changing American role in the nation. 
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks with troops from the 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division's Advise and Assist Mission at COB Adder in Tallil on July 28, 2009. Gates, on a previously unannounced mission, urged Iraq's communities to settle political differences before US troops leave by the end of 2011.
The U.S. brigade at Tallil Air Base, in southern Iraq, has been overhauled from its traditional combat role to primarily advise and train Iraqi security forces. In addition, the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division will arrive in Iraq in September as the first such brigade trained in the U.S.
As the U.S. draws down forces during the next year, its mission in Iraq is due to shift to one oriented toward a half dozen so-called advisory and assistance brigades. The speed of the transition will depend largely on the success of general elections scheduled for January and talks to resolve sectarian conflicts.
During his visit, Gates also plans to meet with officials including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who was in Washington last week to press for more normalized ties with the U.S. that go beyond military engagement to business, education and cultural links.
Maliki left open the prospect of a continuing U.S. military presence in Iraq after the deadline for the withdrawal of American troops at the end of 2011. Gates has said in the past that Iraq might need further U.S. military aid. U.S. officials have said the two sides haven’t begun any talks on ties after the scheduled withdrawal.
Joint Operations
U.S. soldiers and Iraqi police officers working with them on joint operations in and around Tallil seem to have adapted to the change in their roles since U.S. forces pulled back from urban areas on June 30, Gates said after a tour and a series of briefings by officers on both sides.
“It is amazingly different from December 2006,” Gates told a combined patrol preparing to go to Nasiriyah on a rotation to assist Iraqi police at a provincial joint operations center. Based on the briefings he had received, he said it was “going well down here.”
Iraqi police Lieutenant Anwar Ghani said security in the area is good and the Iraqi government is able to contend with potentially divisive tribal loyalties. U.S. forces are on standby to help as needed, Ghani said in interview through an interpreter.
Iraqi security forces recently discovered an insurgent weapons cache in Nasiriyah, complete with rockets, improvised explosive devices and control systems.
Iranian Influence
Training that the U.S. military provides at the request of their Iraqi partners includes a course next month for police on evidence collection and preserving crime scenes, said U.S. Army Major Sean Kuster.
Iraqi Army Staff Major General Habib al-Hussani told Gates in one briefing he is still concerned about border security. As commander of the 10th Iraqi Army division, he urged Gates to make the border a priority and said his forces need more electronic monitoring equipment.
Iran remains a source of concern, U.S. Army Lieutenant General Charles Jacoby said. Iran and Iraq share a common border.
“We have seen consistent Iranian influence across all domains in Iraq, and we continue to see that today,” Jacoby told reporters.
Gates, who flew to Baghdad from Tallil, stopped in Jordan yesterday to meet with King Abdullah II, urged more countries in the region to aid in the transition by normalizing relations with Iraq.
Sanctions
“The deepening economic and diplomatic ties between Iraq and Jordan offer an example of the type of support needed from other countries to fully re-integrate Iraq into the region,” Gates told reporters in the Jordanian capital Amman. “This is the only way to forge a stable and prosperous Iraq, a goal that is in the interest of all the nations of the Middle East.”
Gates also told reporters in Amman yesterday that the U.S. would seek international backing for stiffer sanctions on Iran should the Persian Gulf nation rebuff talks aimed at curbing its nuclear program.
“We would try to get international support for a much tougher position,” Gates said. He added that any new sanctions wouldn’t be incremental.
Earlier yesterday, in meetings with top Israeli officials, Gates said the U.S. plan to engage Iran over its nuclear program wasn’t open ended, while his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak warned that his country is considering all measures if diplomatic efforts fail.
“No options should be removed from the table, despite the fact that at this stage priority should be given still to diplomacy,” Barak said at a joint press conference in Jerusalem with Gates. Barak is a former Israeli prime minister.
The U.S. and Israel suspect that Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at building a weapon, while Iran says its atomic pursuits are a legitimate effort to generate nuclear power.
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks with troops from the 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division's Advise and Assist Mission at COB Adder in Tallil on July 28, 2009. Gates, on a previously unannounced mission, urged Iraq's communities to settle political differences before US troops leave by the end of 2011.
The U.S. brigade at Tallil Air Base, in southern Iraq, has been overhauled from its traditional combat role to primarily advise and train Iraqi security forces. In addition, the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division will arrive in Iraq in September as the first such brigade trained in the U.S.
As the U.S. draws down forces during the next year, its mission in Iraq is due to shift to one oriented toward a half dozen so-called advisory and assistance brigades. The speed of the transition will depend largely on the success of general elections scheduled for January and talks to resolve sectarian conflicts.
During his visit, Gates also plans to meet with officials including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who was in Washington last week to press for more normalized ties with the U.S. that go beyond military engagement to business, education and cultural links.
Maliki left open the prospect of a continuing U.S. military presence in Iraq after the deadline for the withdrawal of American troops at the end of 2011. Gates has said in the past that Iraq might need further U.S. military aid. U.S. officials have said the two sides haven’t begun any talks on ties after the scheduled withdrawal.
Joint Operations
U.S. soldiers and Iraqi police officers working with them on joint operations in and around Tallil seem to have adapted to the change in their roles since U.S. forces pulled back from urban areas on June 30, Gates said after a tour and a series of briefings by officers on both sides.
“It is amazingly different from December 2006,” Gates told a combined patrol preparing to go to Nasiriyah on a rotation to assist Iraqi police at a provincial joint operations center. Based on the briefings he had received, he said it was “going well down here.”
Iraqi police Lieutenant Anwar Ghani said security in the area is good and the Iraqi government is able to contend with potentially divisive tribal loyalties. U.S. forces are on standby to help as needed, Ghani said in interview through an interpreter.
Iraqi security forces recently discovered an insurgent weapons cache in Nasiriyah, complete with rockets, improvised explosive devices and control systems.
Iranian Influence
Training that the U.S. military provides at the request of their Iraqi partners includes a course next month for police on evidence collection and preserving crime scenes, said U.S. Army Major Sean Kuster.
Iraqi Army Staff Major General Habib al-Hussani told Gates in one briefing he is still concerned about border security. As commander of the 10th Iraqi Army division, he urged Gates to make the border a priority and said his forces need more electronic monitoring equipment.
Iran remains a source of concern, U.S. Army Lieutenant General Charles Jacoby said. Iran and Iraq share a common border.
“We have seen consistent Iranian influence across all domains in Iraq, and we continue to see that today,” Jacoby told reporters.
Gates, who flew to Baghdad from Tallil, stopped in Jordan yesterday to meet with King Abdullah II, urged more countries in the region to aid in the transition by normalizing relations with Iraq.
Sanctions
“The deepening economic and diplomatic ties between Iraq and Jordan offer an example of the type of support needed from other countries to fully re-integrate Iraq into the region,” Gates told reporters in the Jordanian capital Amman. “This is the only way to forge a stable and prosperous Iraq, a goal that is in the interest of all the nations of the Middle East.”
Gates also told reporters in Amman yesterday that the U.S. would seek international backing for stiffer sanctions on Iran should the Persian Gulf nation rebuff talks aimed at curbing its nuclear program.
“We would try to get international support for a much tougher position,” Gates said. He added that any new sanctions wouldn’t be incremental.
Earlier yesterday, in meetings with top Israeli officials, Gates said the U.S. plan to engage Iran over its nuclear program wasn’t open ended, while his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak warned that his country is considering all measures if diplomatic efforts fail.
“No options should be removed from the table, despite the fact that at this stage priority should be given still to diplomacy,” Barak said at a joint press conference in Jerusalem with Gates. Barak is a former Israeli prime minister.
The U.S. and Israel suspect that Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at building a weapon, while Iran says its atomic pursuits are a legitimate effort to generate nuclear power. 
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