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| Iraq |
| Gates: Iraq drawdown may be delayed |
| 2008-02-11 |
| How about reducing troops a few at a time by simply taking them out of action but not out of the area? If things stay stable for a few weeks with no complaints, then send them home, otherwise put them back. With the big operation coming up in Mosul, it doesn't seem right to remove them altogether until that area is pacified. After that, I don't think the terrorists will be able to assemble anything like the critical mass they need to be very effective anywhere. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday endorsed, for the first time, the idea of pausing the drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq this summer. "A brief period of consolidation and evaluation probably does make sense," Gates told reporters after meeting with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. Petraeus has indicated in recent weeks that he wants a "period of evaluation" this summer to assess the impact on Iraq security of reducing the U.S. military presence from 20 brigades to 15 brigades. Of that five-brigade reduction, only one has departed thus far. The last of the five is to be gone by the end of July. |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #1 This is way beyond denial. This is full-on There, fixed it for you, gorb. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-02-11 14:39 |