General: Iraq needs thousands more troops

WASHINGTON, June 13 (UPI) -- A U.S. military commander who participated in training Iraqi troops said the country needs at least 20,000 more soldiers than originally expected by Washington.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, the former head of the U.S. military's training program in Iraq, told a U.S. House of Representatives panel that Iraq needs the additional soldiers in order to take over daily patrols, checkpoints and other responsibilities handled by U.S. personnel, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

However, even with additional troops, it would be years before Iraq could take full control over security operations and the country will need long-term support from the United States, Dempsey said. He estimated it would be five years before Iraqi forces can protect their own airspace.

Dempsey told the panel that Iraq's some 348,000 security troops are improving but the force is plagued by sectarianism and corruption, the Post report stated. He said the country's military suffers from a lack of leaders and the exit of tens of thousands of members.

He said the security situation in the country has made some Iraqis nostalgic for the reign of Saddam Hussein.

"You'll hear people say, 'You know, we were a lot more secure and safe during the Saddam regime,'" he said in the Post article.