General hints at Iraq troops cuts

The most senior US commander in Iraq has hinted that he may recommend a reduction in US troop numbers to avoid placing a strain on the army.

General David Petraeus told US television there were limits to what the military could do, and agreed that next March was ‘about right’ for reductions. The general is due to present his much anticipated assessment of US military strategy in Iraq to Congress next week.Meanwhile, President George W Bush has strongly defended his policy in Iraq.Earlier, a non-partisan US Congressional report had said the Iraqi government was failing to reach most of the targets set for it by Congress.Speaking in Sydney after a meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Bush said: “The security situation is changing, so that reconciliation can take place.”He added that the fact that Iraqi legislature had passed 60 pieces of legislation ‘was illustrative of a government that’s beginning to work’.Howard, meanwhile, said he was not planning to change Australia’s forces in Iraq.”Our commitment to Iraq remains.This is not the time for any proposals of a scaling down of Australian forces,” he said.General Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, are due to deliver a full progress report on the US military surge to Congress next week.President Bush says his security surge is delivering results.General Petraeus told ABC that the surge, which had provided ‘an initiative …against al Qaeda’, would run its course but there were limits to what the military could do.”My recommendations have to be informed by – not driven by – …the strain we have put on our military services,” he said.Gen Petraeus’ statements came as a Congressional watchdog reported that the Iraqi government was ‘dysfunctional’ and had failed to meet 11 of 18 key benchmarks set by the US.Political progress in Iraq has been unsatisfactory and violence ‘remains high’, a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found.Iraq has met three benchmarks and partially met another four, it says.The set of 18 political and military goals for Iraq were set by Congress, which asked the GAO to inquire whether they had been met.-BBCThe general is due to present his much anticipated assessment of US military strategy in Iraq to Congress next week.Meanwhile, President George W Bush has strongly defended his policy in Iraq.Earlier, a non-partisan US Congressional report had said the Iraqi government was failing to reach most of the targets set for it by Congress.Speaking in Sydney after a meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Bush said: “The security situation is changing, so that reconciliation can take place.”He added that the fact that Iraqi legislature had passed 60 pieces of legislation ‘was illustrative of a government that’s beginning to work’.Howard, meanwhile, said he was not planning to change Australia’s forces in Iraq.”Our commitment to Iraq remains.This is not the time for any proposals of a scaling down of Australian forces,” he said.General Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, are due to deliver a full progress report on the US military surge to Congress next week.President Bush says his security surge is delivering results.General Petraeus told ABC that the surge, which had provided ‘an initiative …against al Qaeda’, would run its course but there were limits to what the military could do.”My recommendations have to be informed by – not driven by – …the strain we have put on our military services,” he said.Gen Petraeus’ statements came as a Congressional watchdog reported that the Iraqi government was ‘dysfunctional’ and had failed to meet 11 of 18 key benchmarks set by the US.Political progress in Iraq has been unsatisfactory and violence ‘remains high’, a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found.Iraq has met three benchmarks and partially met another four, it says.The set of 18 political and military goals for Iraq were set by Congress, which asked the GAO to inquire whether they had been met.-BBC