Excessive use of force by US troops in Iraq has antagonized Iraqi civilians and made the process of rebuilding the country more difficult, a British parliamentary committee said in a report published yesterday.
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said the slow pace of reconstruction had fueled the insurgency, and suggested Iraq had replaced Afghanistan as a training ground for international terrorists.
"Excessive use by the US forces of overwhelming firepower has also been counterproductive, provoking antagonism toward the coalition among ordinary Iraqis," the report said, echoing the concerns of British officials. Some have privately complained that the US military is too heavy-handed in Iraq, compared with British soldiers, who often patrol on foot and in berets instead of helmets in an effort to win the trust of local Iraqis.
The committee of lawmakers said foreign fighters had played a leading and deadly role in the insurgency.
"However, the evidence points to the greater part of the violence stemming from Iraqi groups and individuals, some motivated by religious extremism and others who have been dispossessed by policies adopted by the coalition since the war, such as de-Baathification and the disbanding of the Iraqi security forces," the report said.
The committee said the coalition had clearly failed to stem the violence and suggested the new Iraqi government should try to negotiate with the insurgents.
"We conclude that to date the counterinsurgency strategy has not succeeded. This may reflect an overriding focus on a military approach to the detriment of political engagement ... While negotiations with al-Qaeda and foreign fighters are out of the question, it might be possible to address some of the Iraqi insurgents' grievances through political negotiations," the report added.
The findings are similar to those of other parliamentary committees that have criticized the coalition's poor post conflict planning in Iraq.
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