Friday, March 5, 2010
Pentagon: No excuses to delay the withdrawal from Iraq ...
Stressed that any attempt to influence the elections will be doomed to failure ...
بغداد – الصباح BAGHDAD - morning
Excluded and the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) found the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The United States plans to reduce the size of troops in the country of some 96 thousand troops currently to 50 thousand by the end of August next.
The spokesman said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said in a statement quoted yesterday: "Everything points at this stage, despite the bombings in Baquba, that we are moving towards the goal to meet the policy of President Barack Obama's troop reduction to 50 thousand troops in Iraq at the beginning of next September. "
He stressed that "none of the previous attempts aimed at derailing the electoral process and undermine the stability of the government has not and will not succeed."
And on proposals that the U.S. combat brigades will remain in the country after August next, Morrell said: "It requires a shift in the unusual catastrophic events, even to look into this."
The observers Morel strongest statements yet by the Pentagon to downplay suggestions that U.S. troops would not be able to end hostilities in August in preparation for the next full withdrawal by the end of 2011, as he had promised President Obama.
It was U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last month: that in the event of a "significant worsening of the situation" could be considered to slow the withdrawal.
Morrell also pointed out that the parliamentary election on Sunday is the first in Iraq, "which are not under the large-scale violence."
He added that U.S. forces will stand ready to assist Iraqi security forces in emergency situations "if requested by", indicating that the Pentagon intends to maintain current force levels during the elections in the weeks following her to ensure the stability of the security situation in Iraq.
He went on to say: "But what is achieved, we are ready for a significant reduction to achieve the level of U.S. troops on the ground to 50 thousand men by next September, according to set Obama."
alsabah
