US army general calls for stop to troop withdrawal

The American general commanding the Iraq war today called for an end to troop withdrawals claiming they would jeopardise recent security gains.

General David Petraeus said that he recommends a 45-day pause once the extra combat forces that President George Bush ordered to Iraq last year pull out in July at the end of their tour of duty.

“At the end of that period, we will commence a process of assessment to examine the conditions on the ground and, over time, determine when we can make recommendations for further reductions,” general Petraeus said.

Bush is expected to accept his recommendation.

General Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee the security situation in Iraq had improved since he last appeared before Congress in September, but was still fragile and the gains reversible.

He complained of Iranian support for insurgents and asserted that withdrawing US forces too quickly would jeopardise security gains achieved over the past year.

General Petraeus also said the recent flare-up of violence in Basra, in Baghdad and elsewhere highlighted the importance of the cease-fire declared last year by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and the role Iran allegedly plays in funding and training Shiite militias through cells the US military calls “special groups.”

“Unchecked, the special groups pose the greatest long-term threat to the viability of a democratic Iraq,” he said.

Testifying beside him was Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Baghdad, who echoed his assessment of real but fragile security gains.

Mr Crocker also focused on the recent flare-up of violence in Basra, where Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki dispatched Iraqi security forces to combat Shiite militias.

“Taken as a snapshot, with scenes of increasing violence, and masked gunmen in the streets, it is hard to see how this situation supports a narrative of progress in Iraq,” Mr Crocker said.

“There is still very much to be done to bring full government control to the streets of Basra and eliminate entrenched extremist, criminal, and militia groups. When viewed with a broader lens, the Iraqi decision to combat these groups in Basra has major significance,” he added.

Mr Crocker said a long-term agreement the US is now negotiating with Iraq will give a needed legal framework for the continued presence of American troops. Many in Congress have raised alarm about the agreement, and Democrats have accused the White House of trying to set troop levels or other elements of the Bush policy in stone ahead of the presidential election.

“The agreement will not establish permanent bases in Iraq, and we anticipate that it will expressly foreswear them,” Mr Crocker said. “The agreement will not specify troop levels, and it will not tie the hands of the next administration.”