Iraqi Forces Give Gen. Casey Optimism

Iraqi army soldiers gesture to stop a vehicle, unseen, for a roadside check in Diwaniyah, 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Baghdad, Tuesday Aug. 29, 2006, following clashes Monday. Fighting between Iraqi government forces and Shiite militiamen killed 73 people in the southern city of Diwaniyah before calm was restored, the prime minister's office said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Alaa Al-Marjani) (Alaa Al-marjani - AP)

Ten bodies also were found _ five dumped in Suwayrah, 25 miles south of Baghdad, and the others in the capital.

Still, Casey said he was optimistic about security in Iraq and he said an operation to crack down on violence in the capital was producing results _ although more needed to be done.

"I'm pleased with the progress to date, but we have a long way to go," Casey said. "And we're not going to let up until we get where we're going and bring security to the neighborhoods of Baghdad."

Asked if Iraqi forces were capable of taking over completely after the 12 to 18 month period, allowing U.S.-led coalition forces to withdraw, Casey said that would depend on the situation at that time.

"I'm not sure yet," he said of the Iraqi security capability. "And we'll adjust that as we go. But a lot of that, in fact the future coalition presence, 12 to 18 months from now, is going to be decided by the Iraqi government."

The coalition has been training and equipping Iraqi forces, and Casey said they are now "75 percent" along the path of being able to operate alone.

"There's still more work to do for them to become independent," he said, adding that "during that process, they will still have our support and our substantial presence here to assist them."

Casey also said the U.S. was troubled by an incident in which Iraqi soldiers in the south mutinied and refused to be deployed to Baghdad for a massive security operation under way in the capital, and by the looting last week of a base that British forces had turned over to Iraqi authorities.

This week's bloodshed included some of the fiercest fighting in months between the Iraqi army and Shiite militiamen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Monday's battle in the town of Diwaniyah left 73 people dead _ 50 militia and 23 soldiers, the prime minister has said.

Al-Sadr led two uprisings against U.S. forces in 2004 but later emerged as a major political figure. His influence has gradually been increasing in Shiite-dominated Diwaniyah, although he appeared to distance himself from Monday's fighting, describing it during a meeting in Najaf as "individual acts."

Casey said disarming militias was essential.

"The primary threats to Iraq's security are the terrorists and the death squads. And both of those threats have to be addressed if Iraq is going to progress," he said.

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Associated Press reporters Qais al-Bashir, Sinan Salaheddin, Rebecca Santana and Patrick Quinn contributed to this report from Baghdad.