07.10.2009, 14:58
Zitat:Odierno: May not be possible to declare victory in Iraq
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- It isn't clear whether the United States will ever be able to declare victory in Iraq, the top U.S. commander there said Thursday
"I'm not sure we will ever see anyone declare victory in Iraq, because first off, I'm not sure we'll know for 10 years or five years," Army Gen. Ray Odierno told reporters at the Pentagon.
About 123,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq now, and President Obama says all combat forces will be gone by the end of August 2010, leaving as many as 50,000 noncombat troops to advise and train Iraqi forces before leaving by the end of 2011.
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Quelle:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/10/01/us....index.html
In Sachen iranischer Einmischung schreibt der Autor des Artikels folgenden Kommentar von Odierno:
Zitat:...Iraqi security forces have recently seized several "very large" caches of Iranian-made rockets and armor-piercing munitions known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs.
Und als größte Bedrohung sieht er die
Zitat:the main threat to stability in Iraq are Arab-Kurd tensions
Und nun noch eine positivere Meldung aus Anbar
Zitat:Op-Ed Contributor
Mission Accomplished in Anbar
At a ceremony two weeks ago at Camp Ramadi in Anbar Province, Iraq’s large western expanse of desert and irrigated farms, two U.S. Marine regiments cased their colors for redeployment back home.
Such unit transfers are common in Iraq, but this one was special. After five years, it marked the formal end of the presence of U.S. Marine ground combat units in Anbar. Indeed, their combat role stopped nearly a year ago.
Although the Marine headquarters, aviation and logistical units remain behind, the regiments are being replaced by a U.S. Army brigade. It is to be called an “advise and assist brigade,” a new type of formation geared for training Iraqi security forces and for stability operations. It is the first unit of its kind to be organized, trained and deployed in Iraq. Its arrival is another signal that Anbar is moving into the post-conflict period.
Quelle:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/opinio...riano.html