Half of Baghdad under U.S. and Iraqi control says general

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. or Iraqi forces control more than half of Baghdad's neighbourhoods while the rest still experience high levels of fighting and sectarian violence, the U.S. commander in Iraq's capital said on Friday.

Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil said Iraqi forces led security efforts -- with U.S. oversight -- in 8.2 percent of Baghdad's 474 neighbourhoods. Those neighbourhoods have been cleared of insurgent fighters and are now being "retained" by Iraqi forces, he said.

U.S. forces control more than 46 percent of the city's neighbourhoods, Fil said. Once violence is reduced, those areas will move to the "retain" phase generally led by Iraqi forces.

Fil said the statistics mark a significant improvement from mid-February when 91 percent of Baghdad's neighbourhoods showed higher levels of violence.

But with the United States planning to withdraw a limited number of its forces from Iraq next year, Fil said the number of Iraqi forces was insufficient to control the capital.

"The fundamental question: are the Iraqi security forces sufficient to truly protect the city? I do not believe they are," Fil told reporters at the Pentagon via video link from Baghdad.

The ability of Iraqi army and police forces to assume responsibility for the country's security is key to a raging debate in Congress over the number of U.S. troops that should remain in Iraq.

A recent report mandated by Congress, known as the Jones Commission report, said the Iraqi army would not be able to operate independently within the next 12 to 18 months.