Bush announces withdrawal of 8,000 troops from Iraq September 09, 2008 - 07:23
George Bush will today announce the withdrawal of 8,000 combat troops from Iraq and an increase in US forces in Afghanistan.
In remarks prepared for delivery to the US National Defence University, and released by the White House late last night, the US president bracketed Pakistan with the other two countries as major battlegrounds in the so-called war on terror.
The troop cut for Iraq will probably be Bush's last major decision in a highly unpopular war that has seen his ratings plummet.
There are around 146,000 US forces in Iraq. A marine battalion, of about 1,000 troops, would go home on schedule in November and not be replaced. An army brigade of between 3,500 and 4,000 troops would leave in February. About 3,400 support forces will also go home over the next few months.
As for Afghanistan, Bush will send roughly 4,500 troops to face a resurgent Taliban. More than half of Bush's address will be devoted to Afghanistan as he outlines a "quiet surge" of additional American forces there, bringing the US presence to nearly 31,000.
"For all the good work we have done in that country, it is clear we must do even more," Bush said.
The US president announced that a marine battalion scheduled to go to Iraq in November would go to Afghanistan instead, and that would be followed by an army combat brigade. His speech also highlights decisions to vastly increase the size of the Afghan national army, which will grow from its current size of 60,000 troops to 120,000, instead of 80,000.
Bush also had a firm message for Pakistan, where the new president, Asif Ali Zardari, was sworn in today, saying it has a "responsibility" to fight extremists "because every nation has an obligation to govern its own territory and make certain that it does not become a safe haven for terror."
His barbed message came amid reports of strikes inside Pakistan recently by US or international troops based in Afghanistan, which accuses its neighbour of failing to act firmly enough against insurgents using Pakistan as a safe haven from which to launch attacks.
Without commenting directly on a US strike in Afghanistan that Kabul claimed killed 90 civilians, Bush declared that "the history of warfare" shows such losses are inevitable but that the United States "mourns every innocent life lost".
On Iraq, Bush hinted that more troops could return to the US in the first half of 2009 if conditions improve.
"Here is the bottom line: while the enemy in Iraq is still dangerous, we have seized the offensive, and Iraqi forces are becomingly increasingly capable of leading and winning the fight," Bush said.
US commanders have been divided on the rate of troop cuts in Iraq and today's plan is a compromise. General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, had argued in favour of maintaining current levels until next June.
Others, including Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, thought that a faster withdrawal from Iraq represented a small risk compared with the gain that could be made by sending reinforcements to Afghanistan.
Anthony Cordesman, an analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said that the plan reflected the concern of US commanders that the rush to reduce US forces could lead to instability at a crucial moment in Iraq.
"This plan does, however, mean continuing stress on both the active and reserve forces," Cordesman added.
The Democratic presidential hopeful, Barack Obama, has advocated pulling all combat forces out of Iraq within 16 months of taking office.
John McCain, his Republican rival, has said that he would rely on the advice of US military commanders to determine the timing and pace of troop reductions.
Both candidates agree on the need for more troops for Afghanistan, amid growing concern that Nato is losing ground to Taliban insurgents.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/09/iraq.usa
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