WASHINGTON: The top US general in Iraq outlined plans for the withdrawal of as many as 30,000 troops from Iraq by next summer, drawing praise from the White House but a chilly reception from anti-war Democrats.
General David Petraeus said a 2,000-member Marine unit would return home this month without replacement in the first sizable cut since the 2003 US-led invasion.
Further "force reductions will continue," he told a nationally televised congressional hearing on Monday that was interrupted frequently by anti-war protesters.
Petraeus' long-awaited appearance at an unusual joint hearing of two congressional committees, was seen as a crucial to the United States as it looks to the future of its troubled involvement in Iraq.
Iraq has been a focal point of the November 2008 elections, with Democrats hoping to use opposition to the war to win control of the White House and expand their majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Democrats generally favor more and faster troop withdrawals. So far, Republicans have been generally willing to stick with George W. Bush's insistent argument against a withdrawal deadline, even though Bush's handling of the war has become increasingly unpopular with Americans.
Petraeus said it would be "premature to make recommendations on the pace," and he recommended that Bush wait until next March to decide.
The cuts he outlined would return the US force to levels in place when Bush ordered a buildup in January to allow the Iraqi government time to forge a reconciliation among feuding factions.
Petraeus slid into the witness chair at a politically pivotal moment in a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,700 US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis in more than four years.
Inside the crowded congressional hearing room, Republican Tom Lantos, the chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, told Petraeus his proposal amounted to only a "token withdrawal" after years of war.
"What I recommended was a very substantial withdrawal," the general replied. "Five Army brigade combat teams, a Marine Expeditionary Unit and two Marine battalions represent a very significant force."
Petraeus referred only obliquely to political difficulties in Iraq, saying: "Lack of adequate governmental capacity, lingering sectarian mistrust and various forms of corruption add to Iraq's challenges."
As for the much-maligned Iraqi military, he said it is slowly gaining competence and gradually "taking on more responsibility for their security".
Petraeus said withdrawal of the Marine unit would be followed in mid-December with the departure of an army brigade numbering 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers.
After that, four more brigades would be withdrawn by July 2008, he said. That would leave the United States with about 130,000-135,000 troops in Iraq, although Petraeus was not precise about whether some of the several thousand support troops sent along with the extra combat forces would remain after July.
The Iraqi government yesterday welcomed Petraeus' report. National Security Adviser Mouwaffak al-Rubaie, reading a government statement, said Petraeus' report showed "transparency in evaluating the situation" and that the US-led coalition is "enabling us to be successful."
Source: China Daily/agencies
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article