Iraqis bring unique capabilities to security efforts

Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz has welcomed the development of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps. Speaking of the corps at an October 25 news briefing in Baghdad, the deputy secretary said "the capabilities they bring to us are very substantial. They can do things we can't do."

Citing instances in which the Iraqi forces have deterred bombings and identified suspect vehicles, Wolfowitz said "they can read the local situation, the population in ways we can't do."

"These are young Iraqis stepping forward to fight for their country alongside our people," he said.

Following is the text of the deputy secretary's remarks:

(begin transcript)

U.S. Department of Defense News Briefing
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz
Saturday, October 25, 2003

Deputy Secretary Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz briefs on Iraqi Civil Defense Corps

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WOLFOWITZ: We just had a fascinating briefing about what I think is a wonderful success story, standing up the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps. These are young Iraqis stepping forward to fight for their country alongside our people. The capabilities they bring to us are very substantial. They can do things we can't do. Obviously we have capabilities they don't have, but they can communicate with people with the speed that our people can't do working through translators. They can read the local situation, the population in ways we can't do. Iraqis come forward to them (Iraqi Civil Defense Corps) with information much more readily then they do with us. General Ordierno shared with me this morning his morning situation report. Just glancing at the first page there two different incidents where Iraqi Civil Defense Corps people located improvised explosive devices or identified suspect vehicles that our troops probably could not have done so it's a wonderful success story. It is something we have been working hard to accelerate and I think it speaks volumes that these young Iraqis -one of their problems is they want uniforms that aren't from the old regime. They hate the old regime and this notion that the Sunni Arabs love Saddam Hussein is just a lot of nonsense. They too, were persecuted badly by the old crowd (old regime) and they're eager to get rid of them.

(end transcript)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)