General Odierno: End of summer before decision on duration of 'surge'

WASHINGTON — The U.S. commander of day-to-day military operations in Iraq said Friday he would make a recommendation this summer on how long to continue the American troop buildup in Baghdad and left open the possibility of a long-term increase.

Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the second highest ranking American general in Iraq, said he would make his first assessment of the expanded U.S. troop presence in July or August. His proposal will be reviewed by Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, who will make his own recommendation to Washington.

"We have not even completed our surge yet. I remind you we still have two full brigade combat teams and an aviation brigade that has not yet arrived here in Iraq," Odierno told Pentagon reporters in a teleconference from Baghdad. "So let's get the surge in place first, the full surge, and let us see what the effects of that are for the first months here."

Read the rest at the LA Times

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