tagged w/ Troop
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The US commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan has asked for 40,000 more troops, according to reports in Washington. General Stanley McChrystal’s request was delivered to Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a meeting in Germany on Friday, commanderThe US commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan has asked for 40,000 more troops,... more
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Winter Soldier Conference sponsored by IVAW and Democracy Now. Several soldiers detailing their time in Iraq
For the full clips and more please visit:
http://www.ivaw.orgWinter Soldier Conference sponsored by IVAW and Democracy Now. Several soldiers... more
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George Bush opened the way for US troop cuts in Iraq yesterday when he said security gains in the country were durable and cut the length of deployments.
In the first significant US reduction since Bush launched the "surge" early last year that sent an extra 30,000 troops to Iraq, he ordered tours of duty be cut from 15 months to 12, effective today.
His televised statement from the White House came in advance of a review by General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, later this month or early next. Petraeus is expected to recommend troop withdrawals. The shift also came after a month in which US casualties in Iraq were nine, the lowest since 2004 and down from 79 the same time last year. But casualties among Iraqi civilians are still high, with suicide bombers killing 57 people on Monday in Kirkuk and Baghdad.
Bush, who leaves office in January, is keen to claim progress in Iraq and, at the same time, undermine the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, whose main foreign policy platform is withdrawal of all combat troops.
The weekly Army Times, which lists the number of US troops worldwide, puts the number in Iraq and Kuwait, the base for channelling troops and supplies, at 158,000. Even if Petraeus were to announce big cuts, it would not be logistically possible to make much of a dent in that total by the time Bush leaves office.
Cutting tours of duty will be popular with troops and their families. Longer tours were introduced last year because the US army and marines were over-extended and also to support the "surge".
In a sign that Petraeus would announce cuts, some troops on stand-by to go to Iraq have been told to stand down pending his recommendations.
Bush said: "General Petraeus and Ambassador [to Iraq, Ryan] Crocker caution that the progress is still reversible, but they report that there now appears to be a 'degree of durability' to the gains we have made." He attributed this, in part, to the Iraqi army taking on more responsibility, with 110 of their 192 combat battalions taking a lead in fighting, including an offensive in Diyala province.
"This operation is Iraqi-led; our forces are playing a supporting role," Bush said. "And in the months ahead, the Iraqis will continue taking the lead in more military operations across the country."
The White House also announced further changes to the intelligence services yesterday, bringing to an end a shake-up under way since 9/11. The changes confirmed the importance of the director of national intelligence as overall coordinator and a strengthened role for the White House's national security council (NSC), with the main loser being the CIA.
The NSC appeared to have been given more control over covert actions overseas, previously the almost exclusive preserve of the CIA. The CIA will retain its role of coordination with foreign intelligence services, including MI6.
Meanwhile Pakistan's defence minister, Ahmed Mukhtar, went public over US concerns about Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI.
He said the US had claimed that elements in the ISI were informing the Taliban and al-Qaida of imminent attacks on their forces by coalition troops.
George Bush opened the way for US troop cuts in Iraq yesterday when he said security... more
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