Last weekend I visited Iraq with Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., to assess the situation following the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a leader of the al-Qaida terrorists, and to meet with Iraqi officials including the new minister of defense and the prime minister's national security adviser.

I discussed with them the implications of al-Zarqawi's death. Based on the frank and honest conversations I had with them, it is clear that his death will not end the violence, although the intelligence we have collected since may aid our efforts in suppressing al-Qaida in Iraq.

Still, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

I remain convinced that only the Iraqi people can defend Iraq. We cannot want peace and stability more than they want it. While there has been a substantial increase in the number of trained Iraqi military, their combat capability has not increased. The Defense Department's most recent quarterly report indicates a decline in the number of combat operations initiated by Iraqi security forces. Nor does it appear that these units have been able to develop a support and logistics capability to sustain independent operations.

We have provided and continue to provide enormous financial and direct military support to the Iraqi military — an amount totaling almost $14 billion. The Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service estimates that we have appropriated more than $260 billion for Iraq alone.

I fear that much of our future spending will be wasted. There continue to be massive problems in restoring basic infrastructure and returning productivity to the economy. Oil production is now less than it was before the war. Corruption is endemic. In the town of Samarra, a sheik wants to charge the U.S. $2.5 million for his home so we can turn it into an Iraqi police station and court house. A few are becoming enormously rich with American largesse while the vast majority of Iraqis are unemployed, their desperation fueling the insurgency. Officials repeatedly told me this was their greatest worry.

I was impressed by the elections in Iraq and the effort by the new prime minister to fashion a workable coalition. The elections and the formation of a Cabinet after months of protracted negotiations demonstrated that the Iraqis are capable of forming a government. Just as only the Iraqi people can rebuild Iraq, only they can govern themselves. Nor can we turn Iraq into a democracy if they do not want to be a democracy.

We can — and we already have — given the Iraqi people tools to defend, rebuild and create the society they want. What we cannot do is give them the will to do so.

It is time for President Bush to inform the American people when and how he will withdraw our troops. The president needs to present his strategy for withdrawal. If he plans on a phased withdrawal, he needs to establish a time frame for it. If we are going to be promised a light at the end of the tunnel, we need to know how long the tunnel is. Our brave troops and their families waiting at home deserve no less from their leaders.

Despite often difficult and dangerous conditions, I was encouraged to see that the morale of our troops remains high. I had the privilege of meeting with several service members from Hawai'i, with whom I shared aloha and best wishes. I thanked all our troops for their courage and commitment in the face of adversity and reiterated my continued support for them. Our nation is blessed with the best military in the world, and their service far from home honors us all.

Sen. Daniel K. Akaka is the co-chairman of the Senate Army Caucus and ranking member of the Armed Services subcommittee on readiness and management support. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.