Gates urges Iraq troop cut pause
Monday, 11 Feb 2008 15:05
Robert Gates says American troop reductions in Iraq could be slowed
The United States' secretary of defence has hinted troop reductions in Iraq could be slowed to assess their impact upon the country's security situation.
Speaking during a surprise two-day visit to Baghdad, Robert Gates said a "pause" would allow the effectiveness of George Bush's troop surge to be evaluated and assessed.
The US president deployed more than 20,000 extra troops in Iraq last year in a bid to improve security in Iraq, particularly in Baghdad.
Incidents of sectarian violence and its associated attacks have since fallen, but Mr Gates has suggested the planned reduction in troop numbers to pre-surge levels could see the strategy's work undone.
"I think the notion of a brief period of consolidation and evaluation probably does make sense," he said without elaborating on how long the pause would be.
Following two hours of talks with coalition commander General David Petraeus, Mr Gates added: "One of the keys is how long is that period and then what happens after that.
"All of that is still to be determined, and then ultimately decided by the president."
The first of five surge brigades left Iraq in December, with the second due to leave by the end of this month.
The remaining three will then exit the
Middle Eastern country throughout July, leaving the US military presence in Iraq at 15 brigade combat teams, about 130,000 troops.