Defense secretary hopes to deepen cuts
Robert Burns
Issue date: 9/17/07 Section: News
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Gates opened the Pentagon news conference with an appeal for a bipartisan consensus on a way forward in Iraq.
"The consequences of American failure in Iraq at this point would, I believe, be disastrous not just for Iraq, but for the region, for the United States and for the world," Gates said. "No discussion of where and how we go from here can avoid this stark reality."
Gates also said he saw early signs that Shiites in Iraq may be starting to turn against Shiite extremists in the Mahdi Army who have gone too far with their violent ways‚ in the same way that a growing number of ordinary Sunnis have revolted against Sunni extremists to bring a new peace to Anbar province.
Bush announced Thursday that he had approved a plan recommended by Petraeus to reduce troop levels from the current 20 combat brigades to 15 brigades by July. Gates said it was too early for Petraeus or others to forecast with confidence the timing and scale of any additional cuts.
Bush has ordered Petraeus to make a further assessment and fresh recommendations next March.
"My hope is that when he does his assessment in March that General Petraeus will be able to say he thinks the pace of the draw-downs can continue at the same rate in the second half of the year as in the first half of the year," Gates said.
"That's my hope," Gates said, adding that experience has shown that hopes can be quickly dashed in a war that has been far more difficult and costly than anyone in the administration had expected.
If the troop reductions through July 2008 Bush has approved are carried out fully, the U.S. force in Iraq may be larger by several thousand troops than it was when Bush's troop buildup began early this year. That is because at least some of the roughly 8,500 support troops that went with 21,500 extra combat troops between February and June are likely to be kept in place, officials said.
"The consequences of American failure in Iraq at this point would, I believe, be disastrous not just for Iraq, but for the region, for the United States and for the world," Gates said. "No discussion of where and how we go from here can avoid this stark reality."
Gates also said he saw early signs that Shiites in Iraq may be starting to turn against Shiite extremists in the Mahdi Army who have gone too far with their violent ways‚ in the same way that a growing number of ordinary Sunnis have revolted against Sunni extremists to bring a new peace to Anbar province.
Bush announced Thursday that he had approved a plan recommended by Petraeus to reduce troop levels from the current 20 combat brigades to 15 brigades by July. Gates said it was too early for Petraeus or others to forecast with confidence the timing and scale of any additional cuts.
Bush has ordered Petraeus to make a further assessment and fresh recommendations next March.
"My hope is that when he does his assessment in March that General Petraeus will be able to say he thinks the pace of the draw-downs can continue at the same rate in the second half of the year as in the first half of the year," Gates said.
"That's my hope," Gates said, adding that experience has shown that hopes can be quickly dashed in a war that has been far more difficult and costly than anyone in the administration had expected.
If the troop reductions through July 2008 Bush has approved are carried out fully, the U.S. force in Iraq may be larger by several thousand troops than it was when Bush's troop buildup began early this year. That is because at least some of the roughly 8,500 support troops that went with 21,500 extra combat troops between February and June are likely to be kept in place, officials said.
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