U.S. Ground Troops Mostly Done in Iraq in '09

[John317]

U.S. ground troops mostly done in Iraq in '09

By Andy Sullivan

Wed Jul 9, 2:46 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces will largely be able to fight on their own without combat help from U.S. ground forces by the middle of 2009, the senior U.S. Army officer in charge of training Iraqi forces said on Wednesday.

"The ground forces will mostly be done by the middle of next year," Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik told the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

That could be between April and August, Dubik said.

Dubik said U.S. forces still might be needed at that point for air support and training. He declined to say when operations for all U.S. forces would be completed, saying that depends on when the Iraqi government completes certain tasks, such as purchasing its own aircraft.

"I would not put an X on the calendar, Mr. Chairman," Dubik said when asked by Rep. Ike Skelton, a Missouri Democrat who heads the committee, for a date when the Iraqis will be able to handle their own security without U.S. help.

Dubik's comments come as officials in Iraq raise the prospect of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces as part of negotiations over a new security deal with Washington. U.S. officials have said they oppose setting dates for withdrawal.

Iraqi security forces have grown to 566,000 as of May 2008, up from 444,000 in June 2007, Dubik said. The quality of those troops also has improved, he said, though leadership is uneven and there are still pockets of sectarianism.

Security gains in Iraq "are dramatic, but can be reversed and can be stymied," he said. "Some form of partnership and assistance ... in my opinion is still necessary."

Iraqi forces now control nine of the country's 18 provinces, Dubik said. He said in January that Iraqi forces could control all of the country by the end of 2008.

(Editing by Kristin Roberts and Frances Kerry)

[John317]

So there is no doubt whatsoever that the "surge" has been successful, and the evidence is that the US is headed toward victory in Iraq. This would not have happened, but instead the US would have been defeated (though not on the battlefield), if liberal Democrats, such as Obama, had had their way.

Those who were calling for US withdrawal only a year ago and claiming the US could not possibly be victorious have been proved wrong, and McCain and the President have been proved correct.

People who have asked what "victory" and "win" means in the case of Iraq, now have their answer. It is when the Iraqi forces can do the job themselves and when the American generals say their mission is accomplished and most of the troops can go home.

Thanks to Britain, Australia, Spain, and all our friends for their support.

Does this mean the end of fighting and dying there? No, but it looks like the beginning of something good, doesn't it? Let's hope and pray it is.

[Woody]

Excellent Excellent. Great News. We did a good job there in Iraq and we can hold our heads up high. Well done US Service men and women. And also to you Aussies and all the rest of you. Brits included. Thank you all.