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Iraqi Civilian Deaths ... caused by Bush's unprovoked war

 

Iraqi Battalion Readiness Drops from Three to One
The number of Iraqi battalions capable of combat without U.S. support has dropped from three to one, the top American commander in Iraq told Congress Thursday, prompting Republicans to question whether U.S. troops will be able to withdraw next year. . . . Gen. George Casey, softening his previous comments that a "fairly substantial" pull out could begin next spring and summer, told lawmakers that troops might begin coming home from Iraq next year depending on conditions during and after the upcoming elections there. . . . "The next 75 days are going to be critical for what happens." Casey told the Senate Armed Services Committee. . . . In June, the Pentagon told lawmakers that three Iraqi battalions were fully trained, equipped and capable of operating independently. On Thursday, Casey said only one battalion is ready. . . . "It doesn't feel like progress," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. . . . Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., questioned why the generals are discussing troop withdrawals when it's clear Iraqi security forces aren't ready. . . . Casey, the most senior commander of coalition forces in Iraq, said the result of the upcoming Iraqi referendum on a new constitution on Oct. 15 and December elections will affect whether conditions on the ground will be appropriate for withdrawing U.S. troops. . . . By the December elections, Casey said, the number of Iraqi security forces available will rise to 100,000, allowing the United States to ask for only 2,000 more U.S. troops compared with the 12,000 extra needed during last January's elections. . . . The four took great pains to stress that training of Iraqi security forces was steadily improving, even though the two battalions that were operating independently months ago now need U.S. assistance. . . . The hearing came on a day when five American soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Ramadi in western Iraq. That brought the number of U.S. troops who have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003 to 1,934, according to a tally by The Associated Press. . . . President Bush sent the group to Capitol Hill for back-to-back House and Senate hearings to try to convince lawmakers - and their skeptical constituents - that the United States is making progress in the war. . . . While the Bush administration has refused to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Casey has repeatedly said a ''fairly substantial" pullout could begin next spring and summer as long as the political process stayed on track, the insurgency did not expand and the training of Iraqi security forces continued as planned. . . . But he told reporters Wednesday: "It's too soon to tell." . . . "I think right now we're in a period of a little greater uncertainty than when I was asked that question back in July and March," he said.

posted by Lorenzo 12:56 PM