The former head of Iraq's interim administration, retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, said in an interview broadcast Wednesday that the US-led occupation made mistakes after it took control of Baghdad.
Garner, who was replaced by Paul Bremer after less than a month in the job, conveyed that he could have done better at communicating with the Iraqi people and providing an electricity supply.
In an interview broadcast on BBC radio, Garner also said the occupation should have moved more quickly to set up a government in Iraq. He added that it probably should have put more troops in Baghdad, including more infantry.
"If we did it over again, we probably would have put more dismounted infantrymen in Baghdad and maybe more troops there," Garner said, when asked what the biggest mistakes of the occupation had been.
"On my part, I would certainly [have] done a better job on having communications with the Iraqi people," he added. "I certainly would have done a better job on projecting the need for more electricity, I'd have brought in huge generators.
"We should have tried to raise a government a little faster than we did."
Garner said the interim administration made a "bad job" of communicating with Iraqis, adding that "the consequence of that is who they got to listen to is Al-Jazeera."
However, Garner rejected a suggestion that the poor communications helped strengthen opposition to the occupation presence in Iraq. Instead, he blamed hardcore supporters of ousted leader Saddam Hussein's Baath party and "international terrorists". (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
