Army general urges careful handover

BAGHDAD, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A top U.S. commander in Iraq says any operational handover to Iraqi security forces must be done carefully to ensure security gains aren't lost.

Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq, in a recent interview on CNN said any transition of security responsibility from coalition troops to Iraqi security forces must be done deliberately to make sure that any security gains achieved from the Bush administration's troop surge are not lost.

“The Iraqi security forces are making progress every single day,” Odierno said, in a statement. “They are getting better; they’re standing and fighting. We’re seeing some progress, but we need to still give them more time to do this.”

Odierno says he has discussed his recommendations about the surge with David Petraeus, commander of Multi-National Force-Iraq. Petraeus is set to give a much anticipated report to President Bush and Congress on the current situation in Iraq.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., among other lawmakers who have recently returned from Iraq, has had positive remarks about security progress against al-Qaida and other militants while voicing concerns over the lack of political progress by the Iraqi government.

Although better in some places than in others, Odierno acknowledged that the Iraqi security force leadership is coming along.

“We just can’t tomorrow say we’re going to turn everything in Iraq over to the Iraqi security forces,” Odierno said. “We must do it slowly over an extended period of time, so we do not lose the security that we’ve gained here.”