Iraq's March vote won't affect troop plan, U.S. says

[SpartanDem]

Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met Iraqi leaders on Thursday as U.S. commanders said plans to reduce troop levels sharply by next summer were on track despite delayed elections and a major al Qaeda attack. President Barack Obama has pledged to end combat operations in Iraq by August 31, 2010, before a full pullout by the end of 2011. The U.S. force in Iraq is supposed to be reduced to 50,000 by end of August from around 115,000 now.

Intense bickering among Iraq's rival political factions has delayed national elections, Iraq's first since 2005, from an original mid-January date to March 7.

"We were very concerned," Lieutenant-General Charles Jacoby, the top U.S. commander for day-to-day operations in Iraq, said of the delay in passing an election law and setting a date for the vote. But he said the March election date "ended up being one that we can handle and still stay on our glide path."

"We're still on track and we are going to be able to accomplish the mission of reaching the transition force levels as we wanted to," he told reporters traveling with Gates, who arrived in Baghdad after a three-day visit to Afghanistan.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5B90FX20091210

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. Well, it COULD affect the troop plan,

if the new government was to say 'glad you enjoyed the visit, bye bye'.

It shouldn't slow our withdrawal, but it could speed it up.

[YouTakeTheSkyway]

2. Good News