On a surprise visit to Iraq, Saturday, U.S. Secretary of Defense RobertGates told US troops that their mission in Iraq was in its "end game"while adding that the United States intends to boost its presence inAfghanistan.
U.S.Defense Secretary Robert Gates addressed American troops in Balad,Iraq, Saturday, telling them that the United States is now in the "endgame" in Iraq, while insisting that their contribution to stabilityremains of vital importance, in tandem with the recent decision thatthe United States will boost its military presence in Afghanistan.
Ina town hall meeting with U.S. military personnel, Gates detailedPresident-elect Barack Obama's vision for a proposed drawdown,explaining that it represents a "significant change of mission."
Mr.Obama has vowed to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq in 16 months and therecently signed military pact with Iraq calls for a U.S. withdrawal by2011.
Gates calculated broadly that U.S. troops will be "out ofcities and populated areas" by June 30. That date precedes a plannedIraqi referendum on the security pact in July.
"That's the pointat which we will have turned over all 18 provinces to provincial Iraqicontrol," he said, adding that Iraqi forces will gradually shouldermore and more of the burden of security.
"Our forces will drawdown over time and become less visible," said Gates. "Iraqi securityforces will continue to shoulder more and more of the burden every day.But despite what you might hear about an increased focus onAfghanistan, let there be no doubt that your mission and the mission ofall American troops in Iraq remains incredibly important during thiscrucial transition period."
However, top US Commander in Iraq,General Raymond Odierno said on Saturday that some US forces wouldremain remain at local security stations, as training and mentoringteams despite the summer deadline to pull American combat troops fromurban areas.
Gates' visit to Iraq comes just over two weeksafter the Iraqi parliament voted to ratify a new security pact with theUnited States, due to go into effect on January 1.
Some expertsquestion whether the Iraqis are prepared to take over security and willthey be ready when US troops withdraw from urban areas. Iraqi DefenseMinistry Spokesman Mohammed al-Askari, however, insists that Iraqiforces are "ready to take control or we wouldn't have signed theagreement."
Urgent requests from commanders in Afghanistan to send more troops have added to the pressure to cut troops in Iraq.
Buton Saturday Gates tried to reassure US troops in Iraq that despite arecent focus on the US presence in Afghanistan, the U..S mission inIraq remained "incredibly important."
Military leaders have saidrepeatedly they cannot send the desired 20,000 or more forces toAfghanistan unless troop levels are reduced in Iraq. Gates,nevertheless, insisted that the US military presence in Afghanistanwould never reach the same scope as that in Iraq.
"It's highlyunlikely that we will ever have a troop presence in Afghanistananything like we have had in Iraq," he said. "And so I think we willmeet General [David] McKiernan's request for the four additional BCTs[Brigade Combat Teams] over the course of the next year or so, but asI've said on this trip; I would be very concerned about a substantiallybigger US presence than that in Afghanistan."
"The Soviets werethere with 120,000 troops and lost because they didn't have the supportof Afghan people and at a certain point we get such a big footprint webegin to look like an occupier and not an ally or supporter of theAfghans," he added.
Gates said he would be "very concerned"about a substantially larger US presence than the four brigade combatteams that General David McKiernan, commander of US and NATO troops inAfghanistan had requested.
The U.S. defense secretary's commentson Afghanistan come just days after the United States said it will pourthousands more troops into Afghanistan by next summer. Gatesannounced from Kandahar on Thursday that the military can expect tocommit a sustained force in Afghanistan for several more years.