Gen. Petraeus: U.S. may significantly reduce forces in Iraq by mid 2008 - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Tue., September 11, 2007 Elul 28, 5767

Israel Time: 06:41 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Print Edition

Diplomacy

Defense

Arts & Leisure

Real Estate

Jewish World

National

Advertising

Magazine

Week's End

Business

Opinion

Rosner's Domain

Anglo File

Books

Travel

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Last update - 21:44 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.

	Advertisement

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.

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	Tree lovers
	Many decades-old trees are jeopardized by development, but some are saved.


	Take the plunge
	Israel is finally getting over its aquaphobia as more adults take swimming lessons.




1.	now is	22:19	\|	wh	10/09/07

2.	Vietnam, 40 years on	22:32	\|	Clickfool	10/09/07

3.	Patraeus has to clean up General Tommy Franks and Paul Bremer	22:33	\|	Chick	10/09/07

4.	The Partisan Politics of War	22:54	\|	Mark Lincoln	10/09/07

5.	This defines you	23:11	\|	Jim	10/09/07

6.	# 3 chick	23:34	\|	Axel	10/09/07

7.	# 4 mark lincoln	23:45	\|	Axel	10/09/07

8.	to Axel #5	00:10	\|	Chick	11/09/07

9.	# 8 chick	00:54	\|	Axel	11/09/07

10.	Bush`s coat tails	03:46	\|	Not in my name	11/09/07

11.	Au Contraire Not in My Name	06:27	\|	Mark of Lewiston	11/09/07

12.	Chick - Don`t be too Quick to Blame Franks	06:32	\|	Mark of Lewiston	11/09/07

Today Online


	Avraham Burg: Muslims as the Jews of the 21st Century
	Responses: 268


	Syria: IAF planes dropped live ammunition in flyover
	Responses: 365


	Citing Holocaust, Shas ministers to boycott German cars
	Responses: 133


	Suspected Israeli neo-Nazis remanded; indictments expected
	Responses: 120


	Haaretz.com TV: Intermarriage: U.S. love affair with Jews?
	Responses: 87

Rosner's Domain

* Israel and Syria: Smoke on the horizon

* WTR: Rahm Emanuel changes course: Israel great on Darfur

* Jewish renaissance? Rabbis are more skeptical

* Rosner's Guest: Judaism will not end... Judaism as we know it will

More Headlines
06:34 66 IDF troops hurt in Qassam strike on base


03:11 Syria: IAF warplanes fired missiles at targets on the ground


04:31 IDF: We detect no signs of Syrian preparations for war


00:42 Police chief: There are dozens of active neo-Nazis in Israel


05:40 PMO seeks copy of 1995 Abbas-Beilin peace talks document


05:09 Egypt still working toward release of abducted IDF soldiers


00:02 Border Police officer sentenced to jail for ordering Hebron robberies


01:17 Officials: Haniyeh proposes he meet with Abbas in Mecca


00:35 Police: Anti-Semitic insult preceded Frankfurt rabbi stabbing