Army general predicts 'tough days' in Iraq

The Army general who would carry out US President George Bush’s US troop build-up in Iraq urged patience today and predicted “tough days” ahead.

“None of this will be rapid,” Lt Gen David Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“The way ahead will be neither quick nor easy. There undoubtedly will be tough days.”

Many in Congress, including some Republicans, opposed Bush’s plan, which would send an extra 21,500 US troops to Iraq as part of a revised strategy for quelling sectarian violence in Baghdad and stabilising the country. Before the build-up began in recent days there were 132,000 US troops there.

Bush nominated Petraeus to replace Army Gen George Casey as the senior American commander in Iraq. Petraeus told the committee he had spoken to Casey in recent days and that Casey said he favoured Bush’s troop build-up.

Sen Carl Levin, a Democrat, chairman of the committee and a leading critic of Bush’s Iraq policy, pressed Petraeus on whether the flow of additional US troops could be halted in midstream if the Iraqi government failed to meet its commitment to provide thousands more Iraqi troops.

“It could,” Petraeus replied. Earlier he said there were no “specific conditions” the Iraqis must meet in order to keep the flow of US forces moving.

The last of five additional US brigades are scheduled to arrive in the Iraqi capital in May; the first got there just days ago.

Petraeus said that in the event the Iraqis did not meet their commitments, he would consult with Defence Secretary Robert Gates on how to respond.

In his opening statement, Petraeus, 54, painted a grim picture of conditions in Iraq.

“The situation in Iraq is dire,” he said. “The stakes are high. There are no easy choices. The way ahead will be very hard. ... But hard is not hopeless.”

Petraeus, a former division commander and once the head of the Iraqi training mission, is considered a shoo-in to win Senate confirmation as commander of Multi-National Forces-Iraq. Devoted early in the war to trying to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis, Petraeus later wrote the Pentagon manual on how to tackle insurgencies. He also previously supported expanding U.S. forces in the region.

Sen John McCain, the top Republican on the committee and a leading proponent of Bush’s troop build-up plan, asked Petraeus how long he thought the US build-up could be sustained.

“I am keenly aware of the strain” on the Army and Marine Corps, Petraeus said, adding that he welcomes Bush’s proposal to increase the size of the land forces over the coming five years.

Asked by McCain how soon he thought he would know whether the new strategy was working, Petraeus said, “We would have indicators at the least during the late summer.”

As currently planned, he said, the last of the five additional US Army brigades would be ready to fight in Baghdad by the end of May.