In five days, the Bush administration’s estimates for Iraqi security forces has gone from 90,000 to 118,000.
“When in the course of days we increase by thousands our estimate of the numbers of Iraqis trained, it sounds like somebody is cooking the books.”
– Senator John McCain,
November 6, 2003
“Today there are some 118,000 Iraqi security forces of various types.”
– Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
November 4, 2003
“Approximately 100,000 Iraqis now serve in the various branches of the Iraqi security forces.”
– Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz
November 2, 2003
“We now have over 100,000 Iraqis who are serving in the army, the police, the site protection, the civil defense, the border patrols.”
– Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
November 1, 2003
“Today, more than 90,000 Iraqis are serving as police officers, border guards and civil defense personnel.”
– President George W. Bush
October 21, 2003
“The more than 80,000 Iraqis fighting for freedom and security of their country represent the second-largest contributor of personnel to the coalition.”
– Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
October 19, 2003
“And we've trained some 60,000 Iraqis now to be part of the police force, part of the security force. We're going to continue to train more and more.”
– Commerce Secretary Don Evans
October 9, 2003
“Across the country, over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.”
– CPA Administrator Paul Bremer