Thursday, September 13, 2007

Petraeus: Withdrawal through Summer 2008 may be much less than 30,000 troops

Above: A soldier with 2nd Infantry Division provides security during the during a mission in the Dora district of Baghdad in August.

Gen. David Petraeus says U.S. military commanders are still assessing what the right levels of U.S. troops in Iraq should be after mid-2008, but that further reductions will be needed...

INSKEEP: I want to ask about the reduction in troops that you've talked about. I want to first make sure that I understand the numbers that you're talking about. It's been said that what you've described is a reduction in 30,000 troops. Is that, in fact, what you –

GEN. PETRAEUS: What I've described is a reduction of five brigade combat teams, Army brigade combat teams, the Marine Expeditionary Unit, which actually is coming out this month without replacement, and two Marine battalions. Now, we want to take out other –

INSKEEP: That's a little less than –

GEN. PETRAEUS: Well, we have to do the math, candidly. We've got – I have not yet said how many thousands of troops.

INSKEEP: So when people have said 30,000, they're not quite accurate. It might be 30,000 — it might be quite a bit less.

GEN. PETRAEUS: Well, we've got to determine what it can be.

Read the rest at NPR

Related Link:
Report: Internal Pentagon report will 'differ substantially' from Petraeus, will 'recommend a very rapid reduction in American forces'

Related Link:
Petraeus: 'I’m as frustrated about this as everyone else'

Related Link:
Petraeus: 'We will be able to reduce our forces to the pre-surge level of brigade combat teams by next summer'

Related Link:
Poll: 60% of Iraqis say security has worsened since 'surge'

Related Link:
Perspective: It's Fallon vs. Petraeus as dissent, infighting plague Pentagon, White House

Related Link:
GAO Auditor on Petraeus Report: 'I think you need to ask him how he defines sectarian violence'

Related Link:
Pentagon: 12,000 troop increase above 160,000 'surge' troop levels to extend into December; 40,000 troops added since February

Related Link:
Jones Commission: U.S. should lighten profile in Iraq, but Iraqi forces 12-18 months away from taking control of security

Related Link:
Jones Commission recommends disbanding national police for sectarianism; Pentagon refutes; Iraq says no

Related Link:
GAO report confirms most benchmarks unmet in Iraq

Related Link:
NIE: 'Security will continue to improve modestly during the next 6 to 12 months but... levels of insurgent and sectarian violence will remain high'