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Mullen praises Iraqis for Basra initiative

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s top military official on Wednesday praised Iraq’s government for going after militiamen in the southern city of Basra.

At a Pentagon news conference, Adm. Mike Mullen said it will take a while to figure out who won and who lost in last week’s fighting. But he also said that he applauds the intent the Iraqis had in trying to solve the problem of violence in the city.

Mullen said U.S. commanders have been looking forward to a time when the Iraqi security forces would take the lead and be aggressive in providing for their own security.

From that standpoint, he said, Iraq’s “intent was very positive.”

Mullen also said that U.S. commanders were informed about the planned operation before the fact, but that the offensive was Iraqi-led and Iraqi-planned.

He said U.S. forces provided logistical help in the way of intelligence and air support. And U.S. special advisers embedded with Iraqi forces were there with the Iraqis during the offensive. He would not say how many U.S. troops participated.

Mullen also said there are no plans to add any additional U.S. forces in Iraq despite recent violence, and that plans are still on track to continue withdrawing troops through the end of July.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki returned to Baghdad Tuesday after personally overseeing an Iraqi-led crackdown in Basra, which he launched with the promise of “a decisive and final battle.” Iraqi security forces failed to crush the militias, and the prime minister was left politically battered.

The faltering effort to drive Shiite militias from Basra has raised doubts about whether the Iraqis are capable of maintaining security in Iraq just a week before top U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus is to brief Congress about prospects for further American troop cuts.

U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner conceded there were problems in Basra.

“Overall the majority of the Iraqi security forces performed their mission though some were not up to the task,” he said at a news conference in Baghdad.