US

Pentagon’s Second Thoughts on Iraq Withdrawal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight months shy of its deadline for pulling the last American soldier from Iraq and closing the door on an 8-year war, the Pentagon is having second thoughts.

Reluctant to say it publicly, officials fear a final pullout in December could create a security vacuum, offering an opportunity for power grabs by antagonists in an unresolved and simmering Arab-Kurd dispute, a weakened but still active al-Qaida or even an adventurous neighbor such as Iran.

The U.S. wants to keep perhaps several thousand troops in Iraq, not to engage in combat but to guard against an unraveling of a still-fragile peace. This was made clear during Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ visit Thursday and Friday in which he and the top U.S. commander in Iraq talked up the prospect of an extended U.S. stay.

How big a military commitment might the U.S. be willing to make beyond 2011? “It just depends on what the Iraqis want and what we’re able to provide and afford,” Gates said Thursday at a U.S. base in the northern city of Mosul where U.S. soldiers advise and mentor Iraqi forces. He said the U.S. would consider a range of possibilities, from staying an extra couple of years to remaining in Iraq as permanent partners.

Less clear is whether the Iraqis will ask for any extension.

Powerful political winds are blowing against such a move even as U.S. officials assert that Iraqi leaders — Sunni, Shiite and Kurd — are saying privately they see a need for help developing their air defenses and other military capabilities. U.S. training of Iraqi forces up to now has focused on combating an internal enemy, including al-Qaida, rather than external threats.

If the Iraqis choose not to ask for more help, then Dec. 31 probably will mark the end of U.S. military intervention that was so close to failing when Gates became Pentagon chief in December 2006. He once said the U.S. faced the prospect of a “strategic disaster” at the heart of the Middle East.

Meghan O’Sullivan, a top adviser on Iraq to President George W. Bush when his administration negotiated the 2008 security agreement that set upcoming deadline for a final U.S. military withdrawal, said time is too short to negotiate a full reworking of that legal pact.

“The question is, can both sides agree on something more modest but which still provides an adequate legal basis for a smaller number of American troops to stay in Iraq, with quite defined missions?” she said in an email exchange last week. O‘Sullivan is a professor of international affairs at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School.

There are now about 47,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, less than one-third the total at the peak of the war four years ago.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a leading skeptic of the Obama administration’s plan to turn over the Iraq mission to the State Department in January, has called this a formula for failure. Graham, R-S.C., says the U.S. needs to keep at least 10,000 troops in Iraq into 2012.

“If we’re not smart enough to work with the Iraqis to have 10,000 to 15,000 American troops in Iraq in 2012, Iraq could go to hell,” Graham said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on April 4. He said it was imperative that the U.S. remain to “make sure Iran doesn’t interfere with the Iraqi sovereignty” and to help develop an Iraq that emerged from decades of oppressive rule by Saddam Hussein with no army, a crippled economy and a corrupted political order.

The top American commander in Iraq, Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, says he has not yet been asked by the Pentagon to recommend any potential extension of the military mission. Asked in an interview last week at his headquarters outside Baghdad whether he thinks a longer stay is in U.S. interests, he declined to say. But it was clear from his comments about gaps in Iraq‘s military capabilities that he thinks it’s too soon to hit the exits.

Austin said ordinary Iraqis have an unrealistic view of the strength of their army and police, in part because more than a year after a national election that eventually returned Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister, the government has neither a defense minister nor interior minister.

“Certainly if you’re in the (Iraqi) military you understand you’re your capabilities and your gaps are, (but) if you’re an average citizen, unless somebody like a minister of defense or a minister of interior begins to explain that to you, you just don’t know,” Austin said. “If you see a lot of soldiers you think you have a lot of capability, but that may not be the case.”

Comments (32)

  • Evileye
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 11:36pm

    we will be there 50 years from now
    same as Korea or Germany. Japan Bosnia
    unless we go broke
    I am betting on going broke.
    Even after the so called budget deal. we still will have to borrow 1 trillion more between
    now and Nov,2011.
    Scary indeed.

    Report Post »  
  • 5410amh
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 9:13pm

    Let’s just nuke the middle east and be done with it. Before they wipe us out, Iran already has the ability to launch scud missles capable of carrying nuclear warheads off of container ships. So having that capability they can get within a couple hundred miles of the coast and once their within a few hundred miles there won’t be time to shoot them down before they reach the mainland. Not to mention we don‘t have any defence’s against a short range missiles attack, we only have defence’s against long range missile attacks.

    Report Post »  
  • captaingrumpy
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 8:02pm

    TWO THINGS
    You cannot teach a donkey to use a computer.
    You cannot teach an Arab how to form a democracy.

    Report Post » captaingrumpy  
  • One Nation Under God
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 4:15pm

    people say they dont think this war should have even been started but i think theres somethings worth fighting for. they attacked us and we were right to attack back but we werent supposed to be there 8 YEARS! but now if we pull out we’ll be attacked by al-Qaida again! so my opinion iis keep some troops there but dont send no more. im tired of Americans thinking we need to make every other country just like us. its rediculious. we need to finish what we started and then leave the middle east and everyone else ALONE!

    Report Post »  
  • Captain Webb
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 12:15pm

    Why are we in the Middle East? Answer…that is where we fight our enemies. Stay, Stay, Stay in the Middle East. We have every right to protect our spoils of war. Ridding the world of Saddam was well called for going to war. Winning in Afghanistan is key to surrounding Iran (who has 1 year left before the start of their nuclear weapon testing program). We are far off of WWIII. However…the enemy has declared war on the United States…are we to wait until they strike again? Strike here in the homeland? Maybe they will strike in your metropolitan area? If you are for waiting then turn tail and hide in the hills. If you want to protect your Country keep our troops fighting our enemy.

    Report Post »  
  • temple62
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 12:02pm

    It is no longer fashionable to use the terms, “democracy, peace, freedom“ when American wastes billion trying to set up its ”preferred” dictatorships in Iraq and Afghanistan. Get out and spend the billions in America for a novel change, they have their own resources so let them fund their own dictatorships!

    Report Post » temple62  
  • powhatan
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 10:20am

    Isn’t is jsut bliss, the way our government is so out of control..The pres. says one thing and then the opposite seems to always happen….

    Report Post » powhatan  
  • Nepenthe
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 10:14am

    So, lindsay Graham doesn’t believe in limited government, a balanced budget and reducing our debt?

    Report Post » Nepenthe  
  • Darla_K
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 9:17am

    I agree with getting out and saving our money for something else other than nation building. Take the money and start paying back our debt. No money for any other countries other than our own. Charity at this point belongs at home.

    Report Post » Darla_K  
  • Maggie in Indiana
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 9:10am

    If we leave Iraq it will fall. All our treasure and the lives of our troops will have been for nothing.

    Report Post » Maggie in Indiana  
  • markamerica
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 8:55am

    Here’s the problem: we pull out, Iran comes in. Loop ‘When Johnny comes marching home’ and substitute ‘Jihadi’ for ‘Johnny’ .

    Then the real fun begins, because any of you who think this won’t follow us home are just whistling past the graveyard. Of course, when it does, what do you expect the Collaborator-in-Chief to do about it? Have a non-alcoholic Beer Summit?

    Mark

    Report Post »  
  • geigergag
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 8:43am

    Unless Iraq is going to pay all the expenses of our troops there, we need to leave. They are just another islamist Jew hating, Christian hating government and we should not be spending tax money on these folks, we already spent $750 billion on them, that is enough

    Report Post »  
  • hidden_lion
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 8:11am

    It has nothing to do with oil. That is the lefty argument thats been used up. It is about strategic placement. Ever play the game RISK?

    Report Post » hidden_lion  
    • RepubliCorp
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 8:30am

      That is why we have aircraft carries and marines with the most advanced landing craft in the world. My guess this is about Iran…..

      Report Post » RepubliCorp  
  • Broadsided
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 8:10am

    Your kidding me right. People actually believed that by announcing a withdrawal date that this“ country” and I use the word country with reservation, would magically be ready to take their place among the civilized world??

    I a shocked. Shocked I say.

    Report Post » Broadsided  
  • rabblechat
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 7:59am

    We will never be out of Iraq, they have built the largest U.S. “embassy” in the world in Iraq. Acre after acre of military compound. Thats not something you do if you plan on leaving.
    Folks its all about Oil. We are running out of it and most of what is left is right there in the Persian gulf.
    If we leave Iraq and the gulf we loose are guarantee of access to middle eastern oil.

    Report Post » rabblechat  
    • markamerica
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 8:12am

      Yeah, because our government has no history of making grandiose expenditures and walking away…

      Report Post »  
    • Lucy Larue
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 9:33am

      RABBLECHAT,

      Your post is not really true. “We went to Iraq for oil” was a cheap liberal catchphrase. And….,we have gotten NO oil from Iraq to date.

      I would suggest that you purchase an Atlas, and that you get your learn on. It’s been almost ten years since September 11,2001. It was the start of WWIII. We’re in it. We must fight it. It isn’t going to go away.

      It’s bigger than OIL!

      Report Post »  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 2:37pm

      @Lucy Larue
      It darn well IS about oil. The liberal lie was to make it about Bush.

      We leave Iraq, Iran takes over and the whole Golf region goes down the drain. Not only will our oil supply be at stake, but oil prices will be controlled by Iran and Venezuela. So even if you don’t care about Israel, you should care about the price at the pump.

      The truth is with Obama the whole ME may go to Iran anyway. He has destabilized the region already. However, leaving Iraq will guarantee that Iran picks up where Saddam left off.

      Report Post »  
  • markamerica
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 7:31am

    So ‘later this year’ turned into ‘dump Glenn before his Friday special on Israel airs’ and then I see this:

    http://mobile.france24.com//en/20110410-arab-league-amr-mussa-appeal-no-fly-zone-gaza-israel-air-strikes-libya-un-palestine

    So, as GB predicted, Libya is being used as a precedent for going after Israel in Gaza, but now that Murdoch’s sold out to the New World Order, you won’t be hearing about it on Foxnews.

    Mark

    Report Post »  
  • Marylou7
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 7:20am

    I would really like to see our troops out of the middle east completely. My only care in that area is Israel. I will have to put my trust in the Lord that he will protect Israel and guide our military leaders.

    Report Post » Marylou7  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 7:18am

    No second thoughts!

    Get the h*** out of there and come home.

    We need you guys and women here to help us at home. Bring guns and ammo!

    Humvees, whatever.

    You are loved and missed and wanted here,

    AMERICAN PATRIOTS,

    Report Post »  
  • RepubliCorp
    Posted on April 11, 2011 at 7:16am

    Enough with the country building! Get out….

    Report Post » RepubliCorp  
    • Leadthemtothelight
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 7:39am

      We could occupy Iraq for the next 10 years and have the same outcome. Iraq and the whole middle east is lost. They believe in fundamentalist Islamic law. They hate us and want us dead or converted to Islam.
      We cannot win when it comes down to it. The current potus has turned his back on Israel and we cannot police the world. Iraq with all the US dollars pumped into it will likely become the next hot spot for jihadists once we leave.

      Report Post » Leadthemtothelight  
    • lovenfl3
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 7:42am

      At whatever point we leave Iran will swoop in, so how long are we going to stay? The administration has to make a decision. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68uzsXdMLS4

      Report Post » lovenfl3  
    • beebacksoon
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 7:43am

      I agree…GET OUT! Since our prez and defense department announced our departure date, the islamic, extremists are just waiting. It doesn’t matter when we withdraw…the enemy will return to finish their agenda. We need to get out of Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and stop funding their govt! I hope to God we’ve stopped funding Egypt, since the Muslim Brotherhood has, more or less, taken over!

      Report Post »  
    • Cemoto78
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 7:45am

      I say get our troops out. Let them handle whatever happens cause they don’t want us there anyway. If we don’t pull out and stay because Iraq requests it, then they foot the bill and pay for our presence.

      Report Post » Cemoto78  
    • Ironmaan
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 7:55am

      I agree. Army’s are for killing people and breaking things, not nation building. Get out!
      http://guerillatics.com

      Report Post »  
    • AzCowboy
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 8:44am

      BRING MY SON HOME. Lets get out of Irq and Afg and Lib. Let them kill themselfs. We just tell them if they jack with us, it‘s diamond mak’in time. We won’t talk. If your gona talk talk- talk. If your gona shoot- shoot. Sorry, but I’ve about had it
      jH…

      Report Post »  
    • Creestof
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 11:55am

      Raise your hands if you would shoulder arms and fight to the death if any actual communist/socialist/terrorist dictator tried to take over our democratic society by force? One, two, three…the guy way in the back…ok, 200 million it is.

      Ok, keep your hands up…how many of you think we’d wipe the floor with the putz that tried it? Ok, same 200 million.

      Cool, if we can do it for our country, then they can do it for their own country as well.

      Screw Iraq and bring our troops home.

      Report Post »  
    • American Soldier (Separated)
      Posted on April 11, 2011 at 1:43pm

      Bring all our troops home, from everywhere, including, but not limited to, foreign military posts

      Report Post » American Soldier (Separated)  

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