Joint Chiefs chairman still wants US withdrawal tied to security situation
Washington Post Nov 18, 08 1:44 CST
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The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is "comfortable" with the new US-Iraq security pact scheduling the start of an American troop pullout next year, but believes some major hurdles still exist, the Washington Post reports. Admiral Michael Mullen cautioned that the US has huge amounts of equipment and thousands of troops within the country, and it will likely take up to three years to get everything out of the nation safely.
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Parliament likely to approve plan by month's end
Reuters Nov 16, 08 7:31 CST
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Iraq’s cabinet has approved a long-debated plan to allow US troops to stay in the country until 2011—three years beyond their UN mandate, Reuters reports. Consideration of the pact now moves to parliament, where it will likely pass, an official said. American troops are scheduled to leave Iraqi towns and villages during 2009 and quit the country altogether in 2011, according to a draft of the agreement. The pact also puts Iraq in charge of the troops for the first time.
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New optimism signals future cooperation
New York Times Nov 7, 08 2:51 CST
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A wave of optimism in the wake of Barack Obama's victory is causing a shift in Iraqi politics, the New York Times reports. Shiite politicians are signaling that they're more prepared now to sign a new security agreement with the US. They believe Obama will speed the pace of withdrawal, and trust him to respect the timetable. An agreement could be signed before the end of the month.
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Mullah Omar offers US troops safe passage
out of Afghanistan
Reuters Sep 30, 08 3:15 CDT
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Taliban boss Mullah Omar has warned that the US will suffer defeat just like the Soviet Union if it fails to withdraw from Afghanistan, Reuters reports. In a message posted on extremist websites, the defiant leader offered American forces "safe passage" out of Afghanistan if officials reconsider their "wrong decision of wrong occupation."
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Withdrawal follows terms of EU-backed deal
BBC Sep 13, 08 7:13 CDT
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Russia is withdrawing troops and vehicles from the Georgian port of Poti and other undisputed areas of the country in accordance with an EU-brokered ceasefire plan, the BBC reports. Trucks left Russian bases established in August, headed toward the breakaway Abkhazia region; troops are likely to remain there and in South Ossetia, another separatist area.
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But numbers will increase in Afghanistan
Washington Post Sep 9, 08 6:46 CDT
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Troop levels in Iraq won't change until after George Bush leaves office, the president will announce in a speech today, leaving further withdrawals as an immediate matter for his successor —although Bush will oversee what amounts to a transfer of US troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. The announcement likely represents his last major decision in the pair of wars, the Washington Post reports.
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General's views may not gel with brass' assessment
Christian Science Monitor Sep 4, 08 12:38 PM CDT
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When David Petraeus next comes to Washington, he won’t be speaking on Capitol Hill, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Pentagon officials have denied requests for more hearings with the Iraq commander because they’re not sure they’ll agree with his recommendations. Petraeus has been criticized for being too cautious about Iraq withdrawals, while Afghanistan needs more troops.
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Maliki firm on 'fixed date,' though US says deal isn't finalized
Reuters Aug 25, 08 11:19 CDT
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The US has agreed to a timeline that forces all foreign troops out of Iraq by 2011 as part of a proposed pact, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said today. "There is an agreement actually reached, reached between the two parties on a fixed date, which is the end of 2011, to end any foreign presence on Iraqi soil," Maliki told tribal leaders. But the US said the deal had not yet been sealed, Reuters reports.
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Reuters Aug 23, 08 10:35 CDT
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Russia says it will continue to patrol the key Black Sea port of Poti despite Western demands that it pull back to pre-conflict positions, Reuters reports. A Russian general said troops will continue "peacekeeping" operations there even though the city falls outside the perimeter agreed upon in the recent cease-fire.
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ANALYSIS
2011 withdrawal probable thanks to tougher local forces
Wall Street Journal Aug 22, 08 10:40 CDT
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The US's preliminary agreement with Iraq to withdraw most combat troops by 2011 would have been unthinkable even a few months ago. Declining levels of violence, a ceasefire with the Mahdi Army, and the about-face of Sunni leaders have all helped, the Wall Street Journal reports, but for the administration, one factor trumps all others: the strengthening of the Iraqi army from ragtag force to legitimate operation.
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Legal immunity remains sticking point in pact yet to be approved by either side
Associated Press Aug 20, 08 2:48 PM CDT
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Negotiators for the US and Iraq have completed a draft security agreement that plans to have US forces out of Iraqi cities by June 30, and out of the country completely by the end of 2011, the AP reports. Negotiators also reached accord on the contentious issue of legal immunity for US troops, but the prime minister’s office is said to have objections—and neither side has signed off officially.
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Wall Street Journal Aug 19, 08 9:09 CDT
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Russian troops took control of the key Georgian port of Poti for about 4 hours today, just one day after it pledged to withdraw from the country, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some 70 Russian troops entered the Black Sea port this morning and detained 20 Georgian coast guard members before returning to their base in the town of Senaki. The Georgian soldiers were taken away on top of APCs, handcuffed and blindfolded. The port, a keystone of the area’s economy, has been forced to shut down, at least temporarily.
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Secretary says its reputation is 'in tatters'
Politico Aug 17, 08 3:13 PM CDT
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Condoleezza Rice says Russia has “already paid a price” for its invasion of Georgia, because its “reputation as a potential partner in international institutions—diplomatic, political, security, economic—is frankly in