In a piece of timing which cannot be regarded as coincidental, we have, for the very first time, official announcements from both George Bush and Tony Blair of their specific plans for 2006 troop reductions in Iraq. Both of these announcements were made within the past 24 hours.
Take note of these two breaking news stories from separate sources. Are they just playing politics with the war?? (as if we had any doubt).......
Just days after Iraq's elections, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Friday announced the first of what is likely to be a series of U.S. combat troop drawdowns in Iraq in 2006.
Rumsfeld, addressing U.S. troops at this former insurgent stronghold, said President Bush has authorized new cuts below the 138,000 level that has prevailed for most of this year.
Rumsfeld did not reveal the exact size of the troop cut, but Pentagon officials have said it could be as much as 7,000 combat troops. The Pentagon has not announced a timetable for troop reductions, but indications are that the force could be cut significantly by the end of 2006.
That could include substantial reductions well before the November midterm congressional elections, in which Bush's war policies seem certain to be a major issue.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/rumsfeld.......
Tony Blair indicated yesterday that a phased withdrawal of British troops from Iraq could begin within six months in the first official confirmation of an exit plan. Speaking during a lightning visit to Basra, his fourth in the past 12 months, Mr Blair held out the prospect of a pullout beginning in the first half of 2006.
Mr Blair refused to divulge a specific timetable, but he sounded an optimistic note and gave the clearest signal yet of British military intentions.
Asked whether Major General Tim Dutton, the former British commander in southeast Iraq, had been right when he said troop withdrawals could begin in six months, the prime minister replied: "There is no reason why not, if everything goes to plan." He added: "The general is probably in a better position than me to give a timeline."
"It is our strategy to draw down forces and we don't want to leave people here longer than we need to. The whole process is to build up the Iraqi capability in the armed forces and police so we can draw down our own forces. The political aspect can only be buttressed by a strong security aspect increasingly taken over by the Iraqis themselves."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1673277,00.html
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