Military Experts Urge Troop Withdrawal from Iraq

General Barry McCaffrey, president of BR McCaffrey Associates LLC, Lt. (Ret.) General William E. Odom, senior advisor of Center for Strategic and International Studies, Maj. (Ret.) Gen. Robert H. Scales, Jr., CEO/president of Colgen, LP and Ms. Michele Flournoy, president of New American Security, all testified today in front of the Foreign affairs committee’s hearing on “Iraq After the Surge: Military Prospects.”

While introducing the topic of the hearing, Chairman Joseph R. Biden (D-DE) said “Iraq is dangerous and very far from normal.”

The witnesses started off by explaining the situation in Iraq and how the security has increased after the ceasefire. However these past few weeks, some southern parts of Iraq, such as Basra, have been witnessing some clashing between Shiites militia groups.

General Barry McCaffrey talked about how the tactical situation in Iraq has improved, but he showed his concern of the various Shiites militia groups in Iraq. However, he further emphasized the quality of the manpower of the U.S. army, the U.S. naval being not resourceful, and the latter has been one of the reasons why it has been hard to resolve the militia problem in the country. In addition to his concerns, he talked about the constant extension of the time frame of troop withdrawal and said it should be as soon as possible, because the conflicts in Iraq are far from resolution. After the current problems in the country, the struggle between Shiites and Northern Kurds will start, mostly on oil and territory, thus “it makes sense to get out of there now” said the General.

The hearing continued with General William E. Odom, who talked about the importance of troop withdrawal, and Al-Qaeda hatred in the country and by its neighbors. Gen. Odom also stressed the importance of progressing good relations with Iran, since the latter country is a crucial power in the region.

Gen. Scales and Ms. Fournoy both stressed the importance of withdrawing the troops strategically and leaving trainers on sight to help and train the Iraqi Army and the government for future threats. President Bush’s strategy on remaining until the Iraqis were in need of help was said to be unrealistic by the witnesses, since that makes the Iraqis rely and be dependent on the U.S. forces rather than their own. Gen. Scales also added “the best way to make the Iraqi government effective is to get them fight.”