Hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, Subject: Independent Assessment of Iraqi Security Forces

HEARING OF THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
SUBJECT: INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF IRAQI SECURITY FORCES

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REP. CAROL SHEA-PORTER (D-NH): Thank you.

I'd like to point out that I was quite pleased to hear that nobody interfered with your report. But I do think it's important to mention that the LA Times reported on August 15th -- and I will read to you -- "Despite Bush's repeated statements that the report will reflect evaluations by Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, administration officials said it would actually be written by the White House, with input from officials throughout the government." So clearly your report was different, and I'm very pleased to see that.

Your report also put me in despair, and I'd like to read some of it. There are at least 2 million Iraqi refugees of the Middle East, an additional 2.2 million displaced persons within Iraq. Seventy percent of Iraq residents lack adequate water supplies, compared with 50 percent in 2003. Twenty-eight percent of children are malnourished, compared with 19 percent before the 2003 invasion. Ninety-two percent of Iraqi children suffer learning problems due to the stress of the war.

Sadly, international funding for humanitarian assistance in Iraq has plummeted from 453 million (dollars) in 2005 to 95 million (dollars) in 2006.

Gentlemen, this shows a great tragedy in Iraq.

I would also like to point out the map that is here on ethno- sectarian violence. The brown is the mixed communities. It appears to me that what has happened here is, we've had ethnic cleansing. I can see the green, and I can see the blue, but the mixed communities are gone.

Have we had ethnic cleansing?

GEN. JONES: There's certainly a possibility that there's been a shift in where people live. Some of it has been caused by the fighting, some of it caused by the -- simply the decision of the families to move out of these contested areas. Unfortunately --

REP. SHEA-PORTER: Decision of the families --

GEN. JONES: On their own security.

REP. SHEA-PORTER: -- based on the fact that there's pressure, there's violence, for security --

GEN. JONES: On their own security, yes.

REP. SHEA-PORTER: Okay. I also -- I appreciate your frankness there.

I'd also like to point out that -- you were talking about this wonderful surge of support from the Iraqi forces. However, half the Iraqi parliament, more than half, voted to ask us to leave, which I find very disturbing since we've been calling them a democracy and they did ask us to leave. And also, the Sunni -- a lot of the Sunni government officials recently resigned. Do we have political reconciliation here? Do we have a possibility of political reconciliation?

GEN. JONES: Well, this a little bit far afield from our mandate. John, do you want to --

MR. HAMRE: I think these are questions that quite appropriately should be directed to Ambassador Crocker. It was not in our area to assess, and we really didn't spend time looking at the political dynamic inside the government.

REP. SHEA-PORTER: Again, I do appreciate your service to our country. I'm grateful that you went there and looked at these forces. But the truth of it is that everything we looked at talks about political reconciliation in tandem with, so it's pretty difficult to only look at one aspect and not to merge them.

GEN. JONES (?): True.

REP. SHEA-PORTER: And clearly, my desire today is to merge them, to say that no matter what else happens, those horrendous figures that you put in the book -- and I thank you for that -- coupled with what I mentioned, and that ethnic cleansing does not look good for the future of Iraq. So I guess my final question to you is, based on what you saw and what has happened to the Iraqi people, what has happened to the United States people, when will you say this is enough? And would you say this is enough? (Pause.) I've asked you when to end.

MR. HAMRE: Again, I -- we -- our charter was fairly narrowly drafted. And we felt it was important, because this is such a hot and hotly charged issue, for us to stay fairly firmly inside the boundary of our specific charter. Every individual here might have personal views, but we presented a consensus report to you. And I think we should stay at that. I think that's how we can be helpful to you, the Congress, rather than to try to offer individual comments or speculation on how to answer.

Forgive me for dodging it, but I think -- (inaudible) -- helpful this way.

REP. SHEA-PORTER: No, I think you for that. I understand. And I clearly am deeply concerned about the possibility of success, and so I felt that, you know, I needed to ask you that. And I thank you again, everybody for going there and doing what you did for this country. Thank you.

GEN./MR. : Thank you.

REP. SKELTON: The chair thanks the gentlewoman.

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