WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has determined that it must remain
everywhere in Iraq, including provinces deemed stable.
Officials said the U.S. military would remain in every one of Iraq's 18
provinces. They said U.S. forces would be available to help support
counter-insurgency missions and provide equipment and advice even in
provinces where the Iraq Army has been given security responsibility.
On Wednesday, Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, told the Senate Appropriations Defense subcommittee that
U.S. forces would remain in all 18 Iraqi provinces through most of 2006.
Pace said the U.S.-led coalition, which includes Britain, Poland, Ukraine
and South Korea, would not withdraw from the most stable provinces over the
next three months.
"We are going to need a very robust application of all the elements of
national power," Pace said. "This includes an interagency collaboration and
process that is effective, efficient and quick to decide."
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who appeared alongside Pace, said the
Pentagon has sought to determine the troop level required for Iraq. Rumsfeld
said U.S. commanders wanted to maintain an effective presence without
fueling the insurgency.
Rumsfeld said the Iraqi failure to form a Cabinet has delayed plans to
reduce the U.S. force in Iraq. About 130,000 U.S. soldiers have been
deployed in Iraq and the administration has sought to reduce this by nearly
half by 2007.
"We're not going to get the security, in my view, in his view, unless
the new government engages the country, has a reconciliation process and
demonstrates to the Iraqi people that they have a stake in that government,"
Rumsfeld said.
Over the last few weeks, U.S. commanders have reported a surge in
insurgency strikes in the Sunni Triangle. They said Iraqi military units,
despite their steady expansion, continued to require major assistance in
training, command and equipment.
Several Senate committee members urged the Bush administration to resume
the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California
Democrat, warned that the U.S. military could become a target of
Iranian-sponsored Shi'ite militias.
"It seems to me the time is upon U.S. to transition that mission and
begin to confine our presence to logistics and support and move our people
out," Ms. Feinstein said.
