Are Iraqi Security Forces Ready?

Recently I've read a few articles whose authors wonder if Iraq's security forces are ready to take over after the US military withdraws from Iraqi cities at the end of this month, but I wonder if the US military really has been able to prevent overall violence in the country, even with brave men who defuse bombs. Americans cannot prevent suicide bombings - I believe that only Arab Muslims can infiltrate the groups responsible for recruiting suicide bombers and end their existence.

Iraq: forgotten and in trouble?

Saturday's massive bomb in Kirkuk, combined with political gridlock, raises questions about how ready Iraq is for the withdrawal of US troops from cities by June 30.

By Howard LaFranchi | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the June 23, 2009 edition

WASHINGTON - Fresh concerns about the US-Iraq relationship are rising as the draw-down of US forces approaches. A suicide bombing in Kirkuk Saturday was the deadliest in Iraq in more than a year. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government continues to fail to approve crucial laws for administering the country.

With the 133,000 US troops in the country set to be withdrawn from Iraqi cities by June 30, demands on the diplomatic relationship between the two countries will only grow, some Iraq specialists warn.

Going further still, some of them worry that Iraq will be neglected as the US turns its focus to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. If that happens, Iraq could slip back into instability and violence, reemerging as a top American security issue.

"President Obama cannot afford to lose Iraq," says Kenneth Pollack, a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "If nothing else, there's so much potential for spillover into Saudi Arabia, Syria, and elsewhere in the region."

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Why would Americans be worried about violence spilling into Saudi Arabia and Syria, considering that many suicide bombers have come from Saudi Arabia and Syria?