When does the Iraqi military start participating?

I thought the Iraqi troops were supposed to be moving into the forefront but somehow, it doesn't seem to be so. How can this be?

The U.S. military death toll in March, the first full month of the security crackdown, was nearly twice that of the Iraqi army, which American and Iraqi officials say is taking the leading role in the latest attempt to curb violence in the capital, surrounding cities and Anbar province, according to figures compiled on Saturday.