US military plans Iraq pullout in case 'surge' fails

[maddezmom]

US military plans Iraq pullout in case 'surge' fails 2 hours, 10 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (AFP) - Pentagon planners have begun work on a fallback position for Iraq that includes a phased pullout of US troops in case the current "surge" strategy fails or is undercut by Congress, a newspaper reported Monday.

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A drawdown of forces in Iraq, The Times said, would be in line with comments made last month by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. He told Congress that if the "surge" failed, the backup plan would include moving troops "out of harm's way."

Such a plan would also be close to the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, of which Gates was a member before his appointment to the Pentagon, the paper said.

"This part of the world has an allergy against foreign presence," the report quotes a senior Pentagon official as saying of Iraq.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070312/wl_mideast_afp/usiraqmilitaryplan_070312095322


Cheney warns against hasty Iraq pulloutBy TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer
Fri Mar 2, 8:16 AM ET

WASHINGTON - A quick withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq could allow victorious Muslim extremists to fan out into other countries, with some militants going to Afghanistan to fight alongside a resurgent Taliban, Vice President Dick Cheney says.

AThe vice president, just back from a trip that included unannounced stops in Afghanistan and Pakistan, addressed a conservative conference Thursday night where he sharply criticized efforts by some Democrats to restrict funds for President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq or to place restrictions on their deployment.

While noting that the House already had passed a nonbinding resolution voicing opposition to Bush's Iraq policy, Cheney said that "very soon both houses of Congress will have to vote on a piece of legislation that is binding."

more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070302/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq

[liberal N proud]

1. You mean when it fails