Publication

This officially issued National Intelligence Estimate discusses the prospects for stability in Iraq. The report assesses the challenges confronting the possible development of long-term security in the country and provides an analysis of the immediate security situation during the past six months. The contributors of the report explain that while improvements have been made in checking the steep escalation of insurgent violence and the number of overall attack levels across Iraq have fallen, violence among the civilian population and the different ethnic and religious fractions remain high and political reconciliation elusive. The report concludes that changing the mission of Coalition forces from a primarily counterinsurgency and stabilization role to a primary combat support role for Iraqi forces and counterterrorist operations to prevent al-Qaeda from establishing a safehaven, would erode the security gains achieved so far.