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Bush refuses to commit to pulling more troops from Iraq
Crawford, Texas (AFP) March 1, 2008 US President George W. Bush Saturday refused to speculate on whether more US troops would be pulled out of Iraq after July saying the decision would be made by his top military leaders. The Washington Post speculated Saturday that the Bush administration would withdraw more US forces from the country before he leaves office in January 2009. But Bush told a press conference at his Texas ranch: "There is going to be enormous speculation again about what decision I will make. "I can only say that it is going to be based on the recommendations" of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, as well as the joint chiefs-of-staff. "We're not going to let politics drive my decision, again," Bush said, accompanied by Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Citing an unnamed senior administration official, The Washington Post said the temporary halt in withdrawals announced by Gates last month, would last just four to six weeks next summer to assess conditions on the ground. "This is not a stall tactic," The Post quoted the official as saying. "I fully expect further reductions this year, in '08, and so does the president. It's just a question of when will the reductions be announced, when will they take effect ... and what will be the pace." Gates had previously said he wanted to cut US forces in Iraq from 158,000 to 100,000 by the end of 2008. But his announcement of a pause in withdrawals had made critics in Congress wonder whether the cuts would go ahead. Bush has touted the success of the surge plan in Iraq, which saw extra troops poured into the country last year and led to a six-month fall in causalties across the country. But figures obtained by AFP from the interior, defence and health ministries showed that the number of Iraqis killed in February rose by 33 percent over January, which had recorded a 23-month low. The total number of Iraqis killed in February was 721, including 636 civilians, compared with 541 dead in January, according to the figures. Related Links Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century
Feature: Coalition, al-Qaida set stage
Mosul, Iraq (UPI) Feb 27, 2008 The U.S. and Iraqi military campaign to route al-Qaida terrorists from their last urban stronghold is in motion, with troops fanning out to new combat operations posts. |
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