Gen.: U.S. in Iraq until Iraqis ready
Pentagon announces latest U.S. reservist mobilizations
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U.S. Central Command Chief Gen. John Abizaid said building an Iraqi security capacity at all levels is the military's biggest challenge.
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U.S. Central Command Chief Gen. John Abizaid assesses progress in Iraq.
The 101st Airborne holds memorial services for 2 soldiers killed in Mosul.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour follows the 82nd Airborne as troops raid the wrong house.
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KIRKUK, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. troops will remain in Iraq until the country is able to properly defend itself, the head of U.S. Central Command said Wednesday.
Army Gen. John Abizaid said the most important military challenge ahead for the U.S.-led coalition "is to build an Iraqi security capacity, all the way from the police level up to the national army level, that is militarily effective and loyal to the established civil government."
"It's essential that the troops be trained, that they be disciplined and that they have respect for law and order and the dignity of the Iraqi people," he said during a tour of Iraq.
"That hasn't necessarily been the norm in this country before, and that's not a challenge we should underestimate."
Abizaid also said everyone involved in the transition should understand "that this is not a rush to failure. It's a rush to victory."
"When I say a rush, it doesn't mean that it will be imprudent, or that it will be the rapid withdrawal of forces," he said.
"It will be a slow period of working together with Iraqis to rebuild the country, to make it a more stable place, to turn power over to Iraqis in a credible and thoughtful manner."
Al-Duri wife, daughter detained
U.S. forces have detained one of the wives and a daughter of Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, believed to be a key planner and financier of the anti-coalition insurgency, a U.S. military spokesman said. Al-Duri is No. 6 on the coalition's list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis.
The two women and the son of al-Duri's physician were taken into custody after a raid Tuesday morning near Samarra, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Baghdad, said Lt. Col. Bill McDonald, spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit.
All three were being held at a undisclosed location for questioning, McDonald said.
The U.S. military identified al-Duri's wife as Janar Majid Khalil Ibrahim and his daughter only as "Alba." A military official identified the son of al-Duri's doctor as Adel Al Juraysi, the son of "Dr. Sami."
There was no sign of al-Duri, 61, who is reportedly in failing health, in the vicinity of the building where the women were captured, McDonald said.
A U.S. military source said all three were captured at a farm in Abu Delaf just outside Samarra as U.S. troops were searching about 10 buildings there. The troops were tipped off the women's location by an Iraqi source close to the family, a source said.
The military official said between 150 to 200 people took part in a "nonviolent protest" after the three were detained. The protesters reportedly said the three had nothing to do with al-Duri.
Iraqi police helped break up the demonstration, which ended peacefully, the official said.
Last week, the military intensified its efforts to capture or kill al-Duri, the former vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, according to Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, coalition deputy chief of operations.
Last Wednesday, the coalition announced a $10 million reward for the capture of al-Duri, dead or alive. This makes him the second most wanted member of the Saddam Hussein regime after the former Iraqi leader, who carries a $25 million reward.
U.S. forces fired howitzers and a precision laser-guided missile on November 17 to destroy an abandoned palace north of Tikrit owned by al-Duri.
Straw: British troops 'here for the long-term'
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Wednesday British troops "are here for the long-term to see Iraq through to a better future."
Straw met with members of the Iraqi Governing Council in Baghdad. He said he could not say when British troops would fully withdraw.
A procession follows the body of Pvt. Sheldon Hawk Eagle at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota, on Tuesday. Hawk Eagle was killed this month when two Army helicopters collided in Iraq.
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"What I can say is that we, and I'm sure I speak for the Americans and the other coalition forces, will stay as long as the Iraqi government and the Iraqi people want us to stay and there is a job for us to do.
"As British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said on many occasions, we are here for the long-term to see Iraq through to a better future."
Straw said security issues in Iraq are a top priority.
"Everybody understands that there are security problems, and I for one have never sought to underestimate those," he said during a news conference.
"But what I'm told and I believe, is that life for a very large number of people in Iraq is considerably better in terms of their living standards and would be infinitely better when we can get on top of the security situation."
Other developments
• Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld approved the mobilization Wednesday of more than 17,000 reservists for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, in line with previously announced plans. (Full story)
• Early Wednesday, elements of the 82nd Airborne Division raided a house and captured four people, including Brig. Gen. Khalid Arak Hatimy, a former Saddam bodyguard, U.S. Central Command said. Three improvised explosive devices were discovered and disarmed during the operations, in which a Central Command statement said "one enemy was killed, one wounded, and 24 captured."
• U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan plans to hold consultations Monday on the future of Iraq with representatives of the country's neighbors and members of the Security Council, the United Nations said. The participants will be the five permanent Security Council members -- China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States -- four elected members -- Angola, Chile, Germany and Pakistan -- plus Egypt and countries bordering Iraq -- Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria.
CNN's Jane Arraf, Walter Rodgers, Alphonso Van Marsh, Barbara Starr, Caroline Faraj and David Ensor contributed to this report.
