When will Iraqi troops be ready?

In some areas of Fallujah, such as Jolan, where insurgents are making a comeback, "they hate us all, Americans and Iraqi Army alike, [and] will cut your throat just as soon as look at you," says US Army Maj. Michael Mundell, from Radcliff, Ky. Other areas of Fallujah, he says, range from "indifference to grudging acceptance, to 'Hi, how are you?' "

But in Fallujah, the Iraqi Army is made up largely of Shiites, and deeply distrusts the police – which are all local Sunnis. The first boot camp earlier this year, aimed at ushering Sunnis into the Iraqi Army and staged in Al-Anbar Province which includes Fallujah, was "disastrous," says one senior US marine officer.

Of nearly 800 recruits in the five-week course, up to 500 decided to leave when they learned they could be deployed anywhere in Iraq, and not just Sunni areas, says the officer. The two or three subsequent classes have had higher rates of retention, but US advisers say many more troops are needed.

"They don't have enough soldiers," says Major Mundell, noting that the 2,500 Iraqi soldiers in Fallujah – at least, that is the number deployed on paper – should have double the strength to be effective. "We need another brigade in this city; another two brigades to clean it out [of insurgents]."

But those numbers are not likely to change before US forces pull out of Fallujah in coming months. Except for the 11-man US training teams, less than 300 US marines now work in Fallujah. And already, for months, insurgents have targeted policemen – many of which have been slain – and Army units.

The army positions are routinely mortared. A popular company commander was killed by a roadside bomb a few weeks ago, which shook up some units. One captain did not return to duty last week, after his family was threatened. A battalion surgeon was recently murdered, and when an officer went to identify the body, he, too, was shot.

"These guys are never going to be a US infantry battalion, but they've got to be good enough," says Mundell.

"It can be successful, but they need more resources," says Major Semon.

The challenge is growing. Insurgent attacks have spiked in Fallujah, as they have taken an increasing toll on Iraqis. The United Nations puts the number at more than 3,700 dead nationwide in October alone. The New York Times reported Sunday that a secret US government report found that the insurgency has become self-sustaining, with an income from oil smuggling, kidnapping, and other criminal activity estimated between $70 million to $200 million.

Aware of the battles ahead, the government on Sunday appealed for calm in a joint statement from Shiite, Sunni, and ethnic Kurdish leaders: "Do not let those who are depriving you of security impinge on your unity," the statement read. "They want to drag you all into angry reactions."

Leaders also made a vow: "We promise the great martyrs that we will chase the killers and criminals, the terrorists, Saddamists and Takfiri (Sunni extremists) for viciously trying to divide you."

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