U.S. Iraq commander expects further troop cuts

Enlarge Photo File photo of U.S. military commander in Iraq General David Petraeus saluting during the 77th...

Thu, May 22 09:27 PM

By Andrew Gray

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said on Thursday he expected to make further troop cuts after a 45-day freeze in withdrawals that begins in July.

"My sense is that I will be able to make a recommendation at that time for some further reductions," Petraeus told the U.S. Senate committee on armed services, considering his nomination to the U.S. military's top Middle East post.

The five-year Iraq war is broadly unpopular with the U.S. public and is likely to be a key issue in the presidential and congressional elections this November.

The United States has some 155,000 troops in Iraq and aims to have around 140,000 there once the current series of withdrawals is complete in the summer.

Petraeus said he did not know if the next withdrawal would be as large as a brigade -- a unit of between 3,000 and 5,000 troops.

"I do believe that there will be certain assets that ... we'll be able to recommend can be either redeployed or not deployed to the theater in the fall," he said.

Petraeus has been nominated to take charge of U.S. Central Command, the headquarters responsible for an unstable swath of the world that includes the Middle East, Central Asia and East Africa.

His former No. 2 in Iraq, Army Lt. Gen Ray Odierno, has been nominated to replace him in Baghdad.

Petraeus has been credited with pulling Iraq from the brink of all-out civil war since he took over as the top commander there in February 2007 and pursued a strategy that added more troops and got them off big bases and out protecting Iraqis.

Although factors such as a cease-fire by Shi'ite militiamen and Sunni tribes' rejection of al Qaeda also played a major role in cutting violence, the change in Iraq has added to Petraeus' reputation as the U.S. military's brightest star.

Petraeus told senators that last week saw the lowest number of security incidents in Iraq in more than four years and this week's figure looked likely to be lower still.

On Iran, Petraeus said the United States should increase diplomatic and economic pressure on the Tehran government to counter its rising influence in the Middle East, but should retain the option of military action as a last resort.

His comments were in line with Bush administration policy.

"We should make every effort to engage by use of the whole of government, developing further leverage rather than simply targeting discrete threats," Petraeus said in written answers to advance questions from the committee.

"At the same time, we should retain, as a last resort, the possibility of a range of military actions to counter Iran's activities," he said.

Before Petraeus faced questions, protesters held up pictures of children and shouted: "Look at the children of Iran, Gen. Petraeus!" and "Please get us out of Iraq and don't attack Iran!"

(Additional reporting by David Morgan and Kristin Roberts)

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