Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is the Multi-National Force-Iraq umbrella name for a variety of military, paramilitary, militia and civilian law enforcement entities that serve under the Government of Iraq.
The armed forces are administered by the Ministry of Defense (MOD), and the Iraqi Police is administered by the Ministry of Interior. The Iraqi Security Forces are trained by the Iraqi Government with assistance from Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq. The Iraqi Government and Multi-National Force Iraq had planned that Iraqi Security Forces will assume full responsibility for providing security for the Iraqi people in at least 9 of 18 Iraqi provinces during year 2007. blank">"Al Qaeda Has No Sanctuary in Iraq, General Says", American Forces Press Service News Article July 19, 2007 At the same time, there are concerns regarding occurrences of displaced loyalties and sectarian agendas within the force.
The number of trained and equipped ISF has been an often cited benchmark of progress in the _Iraq War. As of March 2008, there were 531,000 ISF (180,000 military, 340,000 police, plus others). Pentagon briefing March 2008 US Department of State, Iraq Weekly Status Reports The Iraqi government is aiming for an aggregate security force of 600,000 which is expected to be achieved sometime in 2010.
