Region | Iraq
Petraeus under pressure to convince Congress about troop 'pause'
General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq who hinted months ago that he wanted to halt troop reductions after the "surge" was unwound this summer, will be under pressure today to provide details about the "pause" when he appears before lawmakers in Congress.
- By Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times
- Published: 00:06 April 8, 2008
Washington: General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq who hinted months ago that he wanted to halt troop reductions after the "surge" was unwound this summer, will be under pressure today to provide details about the "pause" when he appears before lawmakers in Congress.
The length of the pause will determine how many US troops remain in Iraq when the next president takes office. Many experts expect to see more US soldiers in Iraq in January 2009 than two years earlier, when President George W. Bush ordered a surge of 30,000 additional forces.
Speculation about the length of the pause ranges from several weeks to several months. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs, recently suggested that Gen Petraeus might not provide a timetable.
"Clearly, we're going to stop at the end of July reducing forces [and] take a period of time," said Admiral Mullen, the top military adviser to the president. "I'm just not prepared to say it's 45 days, or it's 60, or it's 120."
Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, in September expressed the hope that post-surge reductions could continue at a pace that would see troop levels fall from a high of about 170,000 to 100,000 by the end of this year.
Gen Petraeus has since persuaded Gates, however, to have a period of assessment after the surge before ordering further reductions.
Most experts expect Gen Petraeus to make the same argument before Congress on Tuesday.
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The general may bolster his case by pointing to the recent violence in Basra, where Iraqi security forces launched an offensive against Shiite militias.
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