Rummy The Liar

LESS THAN 5 IRAQI UNITS

CAN FIGHT INSURGENTS

ALONE

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BAGHDAD [MENL] -- The United States has determined that fewer than five Iraqi military battalions were capable of fighting Sunni insurgents alone.

U.S. officials said the battalions came from special forces units in the Iraq Army. They said the units were deemed Level 1, or capable of completely independent combat operations.

U.S. coalition commander Gen. George Casey said "less than a handful" of Iraqi battalions were at Readiness Level 1, or totally independent of coalition forces. In an interview to the U.S. Army publication "The Advisor," Casey outlined for the first time the readiness level of Iraqi troops.

"You don't build an army overnight," Casey said. "They're not going to be independent for a while. But we purposely set it up that way so we could get them into the lead in operating independently sooner, so they will learn faster."