nastyleg
10-20-2009, 01:33 PM
Odierno Projects Steep Iraq Drawdown in 2010 Despite Concerns Over Election
There are ongoing concerns that militants will try to disrupt the upcoming January election with increasing violence and that bickering in the Iraqi parliament could lead to a delay in the vote.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The top U.S. general in Iraq told officers in Baghdad Tuesday that he still expects the troop drawdown to kick into high gear after the January election -- despite concerns that the vote could be delayed and an admission from Gen. Ray Odierno that Al Qaeda will always be a low-level threat in Iraq.
He urged officers to spend time planning for the U.S. withdrawal as a secondary mission, even though their top priority is to support the Iraqi security forces.
"My goal is that one September everybody is going to wake up and say 'Oh my God, we have 50,000 soldiers on the ground. How'd they do that?' ... Because I want it to be part of our normal operations," he said. "We are good enough to do this. We are good enough to continue to achieve our mission and we are good enough that while we are doing that, to conduct the largest withdrawal of forces since Vietnam."
Following a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Tuesday, President Obama also said he "re-emphasized" his commitment to the Iraqi leader to withdraw combat troops by the end of August 2010 and all troops by the end of 2011.
Despite the official optimism, there are ongoing concerns that militants will try to disrupt the upcoming January election with increasing violence and that bickering in the Iraqi parliament could lead to a delay in the vote.
In an interview with the Times of London, Odierno discussed the possibility that a delay in the election could imperil Obama's plan to withdraw all combat brigades by the end of August 2010. An election postponement could disrupt that timeline, since Odierno has pledged to keep U.S. forces close to current levels up to 60 days after the election.
"We would have to make a decision on whether we continue to draw down on the current timeline or delay it," he said. Odierno warned that the Iraqi timetable will "influence" the administration's decision on strategy in Afghanistan. If troops are held back in Iraq, there are fewer available for a second surge in Afghanistan.
But on Tuesday in Baghdad, where Fox News was invited to sit in as Odierno briefed incoming officers at Camp Taji, Odierno provided details on the planned drawdown. He said the troop level would go from 116,000 to 110,000 by the end of 2009. He said that would fall to 105,000 in February after the elections, and then to 50,000 by the end of August 2010.
Odierno addressed the ongoing complications in the country.
He said that even though Al Qaeda has been significantly diminished, they will always have a minor presence in the country. He said the goal is for the Iraqi security forces to be able to handle that threat on their own over the next two years, though he admitted they are not up to the job yet.
"Al Qaeda is degraded but they are still capable and resilient," he said, adding that his focus is to eliminate their financial backing. "But it doesn't matter if there's a presence. It matters what that presence is, and can the Iraqi security forces continue to handle that presence and provide internal security?"
Odierno also warned that Iran continues to support insurgents in Iraq and is trying to influence the upcoming election in several ways. He said Iran is trying to ensure that Shia politicians favorable toward Iran stick together, and that the country is trying to "manipulate" the media to create sectarian fears and achieve that goal, as well as build anti-U.S. sentiment.
Odierno called it a "very sophisticated plan to influence the election."
Fox News' Malini Wilkes contributed to this report.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/20/odierno-projects-steep-iraq-drawdown-despite-concerns-election/
There are ongoing concerns that militants will try to disrupt the upcoming January election with increasing violence and that bickering in the Iraqi parliament could lead to a delay in the vote.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The top U.S. general in Iraq told officers in Baghdad Tuesday that he still expects the troop drawdown to kick into high gear after the January election -- despite concerns that the vote could be delayed and an admission from Gen. Ray Odierno that Al Qaeda will always be a low-level threat in Iraq.
He urged officers to spend time planning for the U.S. withdrawal as a secondary mission, even though their top priority is to support the Iraqi security forces.
"My goal is that one September everybody is going to wake up and say 'Oh my God, we have 50,000 soldiers on the ground. How'd they do that?' ... Because I want it to be part of our normal operations," he said. "We are good enough to do this. We are good enough to continue to achieve our mission and we are good enough that while we are doing that, to conduct the largest withdrawal of forces since Vietnam."
Following a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Tuesday, President Obama also said he "re-emphasized" his commitment to the Iraqi leader to withdraw combat troops by the end of August 2010 and all troops by the end of 2011.
Despite the official optimism, there are ongoing concerns that militants will try to disrupt the upcoming January election with increasing violence and that bickering in the Iraqi parliament could lead to a delay in the vote.
In an interview with the Times of London, Odierno discussed the possibility that a delay in the election could imperil Obama's plan to withdraw all combat brigades by the end of August 2010. An election postponement could disrupt that timeline, since Odierno has pledged to keep U.S. forces close to current levels up to 60 days after the election.
"We would have to make a decision on whether we continue to draw down on the current timeline or delay it," he said. Odierno warned that the Iraqi timetable will "influence" the administration's decision on strategy in Afghanistan. If troops are held back in Iraq, there are fewer available for a second surge in Afghanistan.
But on Tuesday in Baghdad, where Fox News was invited to sit in as Odierno briefed incoming officers at Camp Taji, Odierno provided details on the planned drawdown. He said the troop level would go from 116,000 to 110,000 by the end of 2009. He said that would fall to 105,000 in February after the elections, and then to 50,000 by the end of August 2010.
Odierno addressed the ongoing complications in the country.
He said that even though Al Qaeda has been significantly diminished, they will always have a minor presence in the country. He said the goal is for the Iraqi security forces to be able to handle that threat on their own over the next two years, though he admitted they are not up to the job yet.
"Al Qaeda is degraded but they are still capable and resilient," he said, adding that his focus is to eliminate their financial backing. "But it doesn't matter if there's a presence. It matters what that presence is, and can the Iraqi security forces continue to handle that presence and provide internal security?"
Odierno also warned that Iran continues to support insurgents in Iraq and is trying to influence the upcoming election in several ways. He said Iran is trying to ensure that Shia politicians favorable toward Iran stick together, and that the country is trying to "manipulate" the media to create sectarian fears and achieve that goal, as well as build anti-U.S. sentiment.
Odierno called it a "very sophisticated plan to influence the election."
Fox News' Malini Wilkes contributed to this report.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/20/odierno-projects-steep-iraq-drawdown-despite-concerns-election/