"Chrissy Matthews is on talking about the President possibility pulling down troop when a Civil War is starting in Iraq"
Sissy is an idiot (but we all knew that). FNC mentioned earlier that Blair said that the UK and US would have almost all troops out of Iraq by the end of 07 UNLESS they're was a civil war also in a Reuters article below (Reuters should perhaps speak w the US Military for the full picture).
The MSM are the ones trying to make the situation in Iraq into a civil war. Ralph Peters and others who are/were there tell a different story. Talibani says the troops will be there for awhile and it's the TERRORISTS that are trying to start the civil war. Iraqi forces are doing a lot of good work and helped capture 61 AQ members. I believe what Rummy and the Pres have said repeatedly - we'll pull out the troops when Iraqi forces are trained and can handle security on their own, which is exactly what the US Military is saying (last article). It also wouldn't surprise me if we kept some troops in Iraq for a long time (at the request of the Iraqi government). WWII and the Korean War were over years ago, but we still have troops there (more than we should IMHO) because they are/were strategic locations. Iraq could be a strategic location for a US base in the ME, epecially since we don't have troops in Saudi any longer.
Iraqi President: U.S. to Stay As Needed [``no matter what the period.'']
AP ^ | 03/04/06 | ALEXANDRA ZAVIS
Posted on 03/04/2006 5:22:11 PM PST by Former Military Chick
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - President Jalal Talabani on Saturday underscored the need for a unity government in Iraq after a spasm of sectarian killing and said he had been assured U.S. forces would remain in the country as long as needed - ``no matter what the period.''
His comments came after a bomb exploded at a minibus terminal during morning rush hour in a southeastern Baghdad suburb, killing seven people and wounding 25, one of a string of explosions in the capital and elsewhere.
The violence shattered the relative calm brought by Fridays' driving ban in Baghdad and its outskirts, which helped avert major attacks on the day Muslims congregate for the most important prayer service of the week.
Talabani spoke to reporters after meeting with Gen. John Abizaid, chief of U.S. Central Command.
Abizaid said he was ``very, very pleased with the reaction of the Iraqi armed forces'' during the crisis unleashed by the Feb. 22 bombing of a sacred Shiite shrine in Samarra and reprisal attacks against Sunni Muslims that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.
``We should understand that the terrorists are trying to create problems among the Iraqi people that can lead to difficulties between various groups,'' he said after a separate meeting with Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. ``We should not fall into their trap. We are stronger than they are. We will ultimately prevail.''
>snip
He blamed Al-Qaida terrorists for the blast and said it marked a clear - and successful - change in tactics by the group in its campaign to ignite civil war among Iraqis.
>snip
The surge of violence, which has killed at least 500 people since last week, has tangled negotiations to form a new government after December parliamentary elections and threatened American hopes of starting a troop pullout this summer.
Talabani said Abizaid assured him that U.S. forces ``are ready to stay as long as we ask them, no matter what the period is.''
He said the U.S. commander also stressed that ``a strong national unity government made up of all blocs in parliament will help in stabilizing Iraq and bringing peace.''
UK, US to withdraw Iraq forces by early '07: papers [All troops out by Spring 2007]
Reuters ^ | March 4, 2006
Posted on 03/04/2006 3:32:33 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
The United States and Britain are planning to pull all their troops out of Iraq by the spring of 2007, two British newspapers reported in their Sunday editions, quoting unnamed senior defense ministry sources.
The Sunday Telegraph said the planned pull-out followed an acceptance by the two governments that the presence of foreign troops in Iraq was now a large obstacle to securing peace.
"The British government is understood to be the driving force behind the withdrawal plan but all 24 coalition members are likely to welcome the move, given the growing international unpopularity of the war," the Telegraph said.
There are currently about 135,000 U.S. soldiers and Marines and about 8,500 British troops in Iraq. The full U.S.-led coalition numbers around 160,000. Italy, which has the fourth largest contingent in Iraq, has said it plans to pull out this year.
Britain's Sunday Mirror newspaper also reported on the planned withdrawal saying it would happen within 12 months.
U.S. and Iraqi officials have said frequently in the past that foreign troops will be gradually withdrawn from Iraq once Iraqi security forces are capable of guaranteeing security for the 27 million population.
U.S. and British troops have trained around 230,000 Iraqis to take on roles in the police force and a slowly expanding Iraqi army, although both are currently incapable of securing the country on their own.
The U.S. military withdrew around 15,000 troops after Iraq had successful elections in December for its first full-term parliament since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Tensions in Iraq have soared over the past two weeks as fighting between the country's main Muslim sects has intensified. There is also an on-going two-year-old insurgency being waged by militants against the U.S.-backed Iraqi government, its security forces and foreign troops.
The recent sectarian violence has provoked fears that the country is on the brink of civil war, a scenario that could greatly complicate the role of foreign troops.
However, the Telegraph, quoting a defense official, said that if civil war were to break out, it would likely cause the withdrawal plan to be put off.
Crisis Caused by Bombing Has Passed, General Says
American Forces Press Service ^ | Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
Posted on 03/03/2006 4:29:45 PM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON, March 3, 2006 – While the threat of violence remains in Iraq, the main crisis caused by the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite mosque in Samarra has passed and the people have proven their determination to defeat terror, the commander of coalition forces in Iraq said today. "This is a difficult time, and there are fairly determined and ruthless terrorists that are out to halt Iraq's movement forward to a democratically elected, constitutionally based government," Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., commander of Multinational Force Iraq, said in a news briefing from Iraq. "What I see here on the ground is great persistence by the Iraqis to deny them that."
The bombing came at a sensitive time in Iraq's political development, Casey said. In the first few days following the attack, officials received many exaggerated reports that took time to sort through. A final analysis shows that overall violence did not increase significantly due to the bombing, and the Iraqi security forces generally performed well in response, he said.
"We're quite pleased with what we saw both in the Iraqi army, some of the Iraqi police, and with the improved coordination that we've seen between the army and police," he said.
Iraqi security force leaders took initiative in securing key sites and containing demonstrations and violence following the bombing, Casey said. In places where there was militia activity, Iraqi security forces stepped in and prevented violence, he said. "This demonstrates a maturing capability to cooperate and operate effectively in providing domestic order, and we saw this in several places around the country," he said.
In all cases, Iraqi security forces planned and executed operations to quell violence, with coalition forces in a supporting role, Casey said.
After the bombing, the nature of violence around the country did shift to more attacks on mosques and civilians, Casey said. There were about 30 attacks on mosques and about 350 civilians have been killed since the bombing, he said.
There is still a strong terrorist threat in Iraq, but Iraqi officials are working to resolve sectarian tensions, Casey said. He said he does not think the security situation will get out of control as long as coalition forces continue working with Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi people remain committed to forming a democratic government.
"We are working with the Iraqi security forces to continue to prepare them to assume the lead in counterinsurgency operations, while we are pursuing counterinsurgency operations to bring the insurgency down to a level that these increasingly capable Iraqis can contain," he said.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1589653/posts
And how many of the MSM covered this??
Key Al Qaeda members among 61 detained
CENTCOMNEWS ^
Posted on 03/03/2006 4:54:49 PM PST by SandRat
BAGHDAD , Iraq – Coalition Forces conducted multiple raids Feb. 27. northeast of Fallujah to capture Al-Qaeda in Iraq facilitators involved in the logistical support of suicide bombers, foreign fighters and funding terrorist activities.
Based on intelligence and reporting, numerous safe houses were targeted by Coalition Forces.
Troops detained a total of 61 individuals who will be questioned regarding their knowledge of, or involvement in, terrorist activities.
There were a large number of weapons and ammunition found during the raids, and the caches were destroyed in place.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1589674/posts
[Iraq] Haweeja tribes declare war on Zarqawi
Al-Adala via IWPR (Iraqi Press Monitor) ^ | 2006 Mar 2
Posted on 03/04/2006 9:36:05 AM PST by Wiz
(Al-Adala) Tribal leaders in Haweeja, one of the most tense areas of Iraq, have launched a war against terrorist groups linked with al-Qaeda in Iraq, headed by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They issued a declaration on February 28 allowing the killing of anyone involved in sabotage operations such as murder, abduction, property destruction, targeting of security forces, and attacks on oil facilities.
(Excerpt) Read more at iwpr.net ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1589973/posts
U.S. military denies withdrawal plan
www.alertnet.org ^ | 05 Mar 2006 10:55:45 GMT
Posted on 03/05/2006 6:15:48 AM PST by Esther Ruth
U.S. military denies withdrawal plan 05 Mar 2006 10:55:45 GMT
BAGHDAD, March 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. military in Iraq said on Sunday media reports that America and Britain planned to pull all troops out of Iraq by spring 2007 were "completely false," reiterating that there was no timetable for withdrawal.
Two British newspapers reported on Sunday that the pull-out plan followed an acceptance by the two governments that the presence of foreign troops in Iraq was now an obstacle to securing peace.
But a spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq reiterated previous statements by U.S. and Iraqi officials that foreign troops would be gradually withdrawn from the country once Iraqi security forces were capable of guaranteeing security.
"This news report on a withdrawal of forces within a set timeframe is completely false," Lieutenant Colonel Barry Johnson said of the stories in Britain's Sunday Telegraph and Sunday Mirror, which quoted unnamed senior defence ministry sources.
"As we've said over and over again, any withdrawal will be linked to the ability of the Iraqi security forces to maintain domestic order on behalf of a representative Iraqi government that respects the rights of all its citizens. This is an ongoing assessment and not linked to any timeframe," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1590314/posts