Commanders Livid As Obama Orders Reduction of Iraq Troop Strength To... 3000
From Ace
Not thirty thousand. Three thousand.The Obama administration has decided to drop the number of U.S. troops in Iraq at the end of the year down to 3,000, marking a major downgrade in force strength, multiple sources familiar with the inner workings and decisions on U.S. troop movements in Iraq told Fox News. Senior commanders are said to be livid at the decision, which has already been signed off by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.How can 3000 men in a foreign country accomplish anything, even securing their own safety?
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Currently, about 45,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq. The generals on the ground had requested a reduced number of troops remaining in Iraq at the end of the year, but there was major pushback about "the cost and the political optics" of keeping that many in Iraq. The military's troop-level request was then reduced to 10,000.
Commanders said they could possibly make that work "in extremis," in other words, meaning they would be pushing it to make that number work security-wise and manpower-wise.
Now, sources confirm that the administration has pushed the Pentagon to cut the number even lower, and commanders are concerned for the safety of the U.S. troops who would remain there.
This seems, yet again, to be a purely political decision, made without regard to any security goal or even the affected troops' safety.
2 comments:
Hi Pasto.
Had the story also but i noticed this following quotes:
Senior commanders are said to be livid at the decision, which has already been signed off by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Panetta spokesman George Little. "We continue to proceed with troop withdrawals as directed by the president."
Hmmmmm......."The Commander In chief decided?"
Look, Panetta is a hack, and his direct predecessor a careerist who saw himself managing decline. Panetta will say NOTHING out of line.
I really cannot guess as to whether the Iraqis can manage but certainly I would give full weight to on the scene military guys who are also training experts.
It doesn't matter any more than whether or not the S Viets could manage on their own in 1975. The correlation of social forces in Nov 2008 literally MANDATED this ending.
I just hope we have a secure, unassailable base we can fly drones from to cover the entire area from syria and across iran from, and we can keep the base supplied by air.
That, IMHO, is our minimum requirement for the AMERICAN PEOPLE's PERSONAL SECURITY
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