Written question asked by Andrew Rosindell (Conservative) on Monday, 12 October 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 14 October 2009. It was answered by Ivan Lewis (Labour) on Monday, 19 October 2009 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iraq: Security

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Iraq.

Answer: Recent attacks, including on 19 August 2009 in Baghdad and on 11 October 2009 in Ramadi, show that terrorist groups are still trying to undermine the significant progress made in Iraq over recent years. Nevertheless, the overall security in Iraq continues to improve as the capability of the Iraqi security forces grows. Importantly, the Iraqi people in provincial and Kurdish regional elections this year chose leaders who promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law over those who offer nothing but violence. January 2010's national election will provide further proof of this.

Secondary information