Last update - 00:00 10/09/2007
Gen. Petraeus: U.S. may significantly reduce forces in Iraq by mid 2008
By The Associated Press
The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq told Congress on Monday he envisions the withdrawal of roughly 30,000 U.S. combat troops from the country by the middle of 2008.
In long-awaited testimony, Gen. David Petraeus said the buildup in U.S. troops over recent months had met its military objectives in large measure.
"I believe that we will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level ... by next summer without jeopardizing the security gains we have fought so hard to achieve," Petraeus told a congressional hearing and a U.S. television audience.
Petraeus' high-profile appearance at an unusual joint hearing of two congressional committees, was seen as a crucial moment as the United States looks to the future of its troubled involvement in Iraq.
He is widely admired by Democrats and Republicans alike and the White House has looked to him to give a boost to his Iraq policies at a time that President George W. Bush's popularity as sagging, mostly because of his handling of the war.
It also comes as 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.
Among the major unanswered questions as Petraeus settled into the witness chair for the most anticipated testimony by a military commander in decades was how many U.S. troops could begin to withdraw, and how quickly.
Democrats generally favor more, and faster. So far, Republicans have been generally willing to stick with Bush, who has argued insistently against a withdrawal deadline, even though Bush's handling of the war has become increasingly unpopular with Americans.
Testifying in a uniform bearing four general's stars and a chestful of medals, etraeus said he had already provided his views to the military chain of command.
Rebutting charges that he was merely doing the White House's bidding, he said firmly, I wrote this testimony myself. It has not been cleared by nor shared with anyone in the Pentagon, the White House or the Congress.
Using charts and graphs to illustrate his points, Petraeus conceded that the military gains have been uneven in the months since President George W. Bush ordered an additional 30,000 troops to the war earlier this year.
But he also said that there has been an overall decline in violence and said, the level of security incidents has delined in eight of the past 12 weeks, with the level of incidents in the past two weeks the lowest since June of 2006.
Petraeus also said the Iraqi military is slowly gaining competence and gradually taking on more responsibility for their security.
"We are seeing similar actions in other locations as well," said Petraeus citing Anbar province as an example of Iraqis turning against terrorists.
Bush and his political allies have worked forcefully in recent weeks to shore up Republican support. One organization with ties to the administration has spent milions on television advertisements, and Bush traveled to Anbar province last week to highlight improved security in the vast western stretches of Iraq.
Bush also called Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the hours before Petraeus's speech, and is expected to deliver a nationwide address on the war in the next few days.
Despite the administration's efforts, fresh polls reflected significant public opposition to the war. A U.S.A Today-Gallup poll taken in the past few days found that 60 percent of those surveyed favor setting a timetable for removing troops. Only 35 percent favor keeping the troops in Iraq until the situation improves.