thedrifter
08-20-07, 07:45 PM
Iraq options aimed at lessening combat role
By Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Aug 20, 2007 17:43:33 EDT
WASHINGTON — U.S. military officials considering Iraq strategy options appear to be focusing on reducing the U.S. combat role in 2008 while increasing training of Iraqi forces, a senior military official told The Associated Press on Monday.
The military has not yet developed a plan for a substantial withdrawal of forces next year. But officials are laying the groundwork for possible overtures to Turkey and Jordan on using their territory to move some troops and equipment out of Iraq, the official said. The main exit would remain Kuwait, but more routes would make it easier and safer for U.S. troops leaving western and northern Iraq.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because internal deliberations are ongoing, emphasized that the discussions do not prejudge decisions yet to be made by President Bush. Those decisions include how long to maintain the current U.S. troop buildup and when to transition to a larger Iraqi combat role.
It is widely anticipated that the five extra Army brigades sent to the Baghdad area this year will be withdrawn by late next summer. But it is far less clear if the Bush administration will follow that immediately with more drawdowns, which many Democrats in Congress want.
Bush has said publicly that he likes the idea — first proposed late last year by the Iraq Study Group — of switching the emphasis of U.S. military efforts from mainly combat to mainly support roles. But he also has said this should not happen until Baghdad in particular is stable enough to enable Iraqi political leaders to make hard choices about reconciling rival interests among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
There are now 162,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, 30,000 of whom have arrived since February as part of Bush’s revised strategy to stabilize Baghdad and to push Iraqi leaders to build a government of national unity.
Military efforts to stabilize the country have made strides in recent months, but political progress has lagged.
Ellie
By Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Aug 20, 2007 17:43:33 EDT
WASHINGTON — U.S. military officials considering Iraq strategy options appear to be focusing on reducing the U.S. combat role in 2008 while increasing training of Iraqi forces, a senior military official told The Associated Press on Monday.
The military has not yet developed a plan for a substantial withdrawal of forces next year. But officials are laying the groundwork for possible overtures to Turkey and Jordan on using their territory to move some troops and equipment out of Iraq, the official said. The main exit would remain Kuwait, but more routes would make it easier and safer for U.S. troops leaving western and northern Iraq.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because internal deliberations are ongoing, emphasized that the discussions do not prejudge decisions yet to be made by President Bush. Those decisions include how long to maintain the current U.S. troop buildup and when to transition to a larger Iraqi combat role.
It is widely anticipated that the five extra Army brigades sent to the Baghdad area this year will be withdrawn by late next summer. But it is far less clear if the Bush administration will follow that immediately with more drawdowns, which many Democrats in Congress want.
Bush has said publicly that he likes the idea — first proposed late last year by the Iraq Study Group — of switching the emphasis of U.S. military efforts from mainly combat to mainly support roles. But he also has said this should not happen until Baghdad in particular is stable enough to enable Iraqi political leaders to make hard choices about reconciling rival interests among Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
There are now 162,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, 30,000 of whom have arrived since February as part of Bush’s revised strategy to stabilize Baghdad and to push Iraqi leaders to build a government of national unity.
Military efforts to stabilize the country have made strides in recent months, but political progress has lagged.
Ellie