Iraqis to take lead for security by '07

Saddam's half brother spoke up for him in court.
COMBINED DISPATCHES
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Monday that Iraqi forces will assume the lead role for security from U.S. forces across most of Iraq by the end of the year, with the exception of "hot spots" such as Baghdad and the restive western province of Anbar.
Speaking during a surprise visit to Baghdad by Britain's Tony Blair intended to show support for Iraq's newly installed government, al-Maliki said the two southern provinces of Amara and Samawah, which are under British control, would be handed over to Iraqi forces next month, with "most of the provinces" to follow in the months after that.
His timetable coincides closely with the targets set by the U.S. military, which aims to give Iraqis the lead role for security over all of Iraq by the end of the year, according to the U.S. general in charge of training the Iraqi army.
Those plans are on track, and the effort to train the Iraqi army is slightly ahead of schedule, Brig. Gen. Daniel Bolger said. About 60 of the 115 eventual battalions of the Iraqi army have authority over battle space, he said. That means they conduct their own operations independent of U.S. forces, but the United States provides a backup role.
What numbers show
About 115,000 soldiers of the planned 130,000-strong army are on active duty, with the shortfall consisting mostly of recruits to the officer corps, he said.
But whether that will allow the 134,000 U.S. troops currently in Iraq to draw down in significant numbers will depend on other factors, including the new Iraqi government's ability to tamp down the violence and heal the sectarian divisions that have threatened Iraq with civil war, Bolger said.
"The enemy is a part of this equation too," he said. "The enemy we're up against is working hard to create a split between Shiite and Sunni folks in Iraq. They're trying very hard to stage attacks that create reprisals. That's a phenomenon we have to deal with."
Saddam's trial
Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein's half brother testified in defense of the fallen dictator's character Monday, giving an unapologetic narrative that seemed crafted not only to deflect criminal charges, but to correct Saddam's tarnished historical legacy.
The testimony marked the first time lawyers have mounted a vigorous defense of the former president, who has been charged with crimes against humanity.
In a monologue that infused the courtroom with a sense of historical sweep, Sabawi Ibrahim al Tikriti, Iraq's long-dreaded intelligence boss, described Saddam as a benevolent leader who delighted in roaming the provinces to meet common Iraqis and labored to create a fair country.
Speaking from a partially curtained witness booth, he acknowledged that Saddam's regime was harsh but argued that a tough government was necessary to defend a country which was at war against Iran.