Special to WorldTribune.com

The United States might have prevented the rise of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) “if we had stayed a little bit more engaged,” Gen. Ray Odierno said.

Odierno, 60, chief of staff for the U.S. Army, is retiring after nearly 40 years as a soldier. In an interview with Fox News, he said ISIL’s rampage through Syria and Iraq has been “frustrating to watch.”

“I think a lot of hard work went into that and we thought we had it going in exactly the right direction. But now we watch it fall apart, it’s frustrating.”

During his four years as commanding general in Iraq, Odierno was credited with forging cooperation between U.S. and Iraqi officials.

“I think maybe if we had stayed a little bit more engaged, I think maybe it might have prevented it,” he said. “I’ve always believed that the United States played the role of honest broker between all the groups, and when we pulled ourselves out we lost that role as honest broker.”

Odierno went on to say that Obama administration cuts to the Army could hamper America’s ability to defer conflict and protect its interests abroad.

Since Obama’s order to pull out U.S. troops in December 2011, Iraq has struggled politically and militarily amid ISIL’s ongoing offensive.

  Exiting Army chief: U.S. could have stopped ISIL if we stayed in Iraq longer, Iraq withdrawal, Ray Odierno, WorldTribune.com