bobdina
07-21-2010, 11:08 AM
Odierno: 50,000 troops to stay in Iraq through summer 2011
By Kevin Baron
Stars and Stripes
Published: July 21, 2010
U.S. Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno
Courtesy of the U.S. Army
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is on track to draw down its force level in Iraq to 50,000 by August 31, as scheduled, but will maintain that level through summer 2011, Gen. Ray Odierno said Wednesday.
Odierno, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said the robust number of troops will help the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad make the transition next year from a military-dominated presence to one that is more military-civilian balanced. U.S. forces must withdraw completely by December 31, 2011, per an agreement with the Iraqi government.
At a Washington breakfast with defense writers, Odierno also said that U.S. units deployed to Kirkuk would probably be among the last units to come out, given the importance of stability in the north.
Odierno is in Washington for a joint Defense and State Department conference discussing that transition.
“We do not do combat patrols anymore,” Odierno said, adding that despite lingering violent bombings, Iraqis show no signs of returning to sectarian fighting, a talking point Obama aministration officials have made for nearly a year.
“The only way to reduce that level of violence now is through economic growth and job development,” he said, “... and political movement toward a little bit more reconciliation.
“Security is not holding us back, anymore.”
Odierno has been tapped for promotion as the next head of Joint Forces Command .
By Kevin Baron
Stars and Stripes
Published: July 21, 2010
U.S. Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno
Courtesy of the U.S. Army
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is on track to draw down its force level in Iraq to 50,000 by August 31, as scheduled, but will maintain that level through summer 2011, Gen. Ray Odierno said Wednesday.
Odierno, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said the robust number of troops will help the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad make the transition next year from a military-dominated presence to one that is more military-civilian balanced. U.S. forces must withdraw completely by December 31, 2011, per an agreement with the Iraqi government.
At a Washington breakfast with defense writers, Odierno also said that U.S. units deployed to Kirkuk would probably be among the last units to come out, given the importance of stability in the north.
Odierno is in Washington for a joint Defense and State Department conference discussing that transition.
“We do not do combat patrols anymore,” Odierno said, adding that despite lingering violent bombings, Iraqis show no signs of returning to sectarian fighting, a talking point Obama aministration officials have made for nearly a year.
“The only way to reduce that level of violence now is through economic growth and job development,” he said, “... and political movement toward a little bit more reconciliation.
“Security is not holding us back, anymore.”
Odierno has been tapped for promotion as the next head of Joint Forces Command .