US Gen Petraeus may urge more troop cuts in Iraq

WASHINGTON - The top US commander in Iraq said on Thursday he expects to recommend further cuts in US forces in Iraq before he relinquishes command in September because of improved security.
"My sense is I will be able to make a recommendation at that time for some further reductions," General David Petraeus said in confirmation hearings on his appointment to become head of the US Central Command.
At the same time, Petraeus acknowledged that the US goal of turning all 18 provinces to Iraqi security control by the end of the year will not be met, in part because of violent conditions around Mosul in northern Iraq.
And he said provincial elections, a crucial step in Iraq's political consolidation, are likely to slip from October to November.
Petraeus said he would make the recommendations on further troop cuts following the withdrawal of the last of five surge brigades in July and a 45-day period of consolidation and assessment.
"I do not mean to imply that that would be a BCT (brigade combat team) or some major formation -- but it could," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"But I do believe that there will be certain assets that, as we are already looking at the picture right now, we'll be able to recommend can be either redeployed or not deployed to the theater in the fall," he said.
A combat brigade consists of about 3,500 troops.
The general said security conditions have continued to improve despite the withdrawal of three of the five surge brigades, with security incidents falling last week to the lowest point in more than four years.
"This week's is even significantly lower," he said, without providing specifics.
The general attributed the improvement to military operations against Iranian-backed Shiite militias in the southern city of Basra and Baghdad's Sadr City.
The exposure of Iranian activity in Basra has galvanized "a degree of opposition, resentment and so forth" against Iran in the Shiite led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, he said.
Petraeus said he was looking for signs of Iran pulling back in the wake of a recent visit to Tehran by an Iraqi delegation who conveyed the Maliki government's concerns.
"We know, though, that a number of the special group leaders have gone back to Iran, as they have been put under pressure in first Basra then other areas in the southern provinces and now in Sadr City," he said.
Petraeus was joined at the hearing by General Raymond Odierno, his former number two in Iraq and the Pentagon's choice to succeed Petraeus as the top general there.
The generals' performance was roundly praised on both sides of the aisle, and their confirmation appeared assured.
Senator Carl Levin, the committee chairman, said they would bring "unprecedented continuity of senior military leadership" and provide "unparalleled knowlege of the situation on the ground."
The change will put Petraeus in command of a vast portfolio of security challenges in a region that stretches from Afghanistan to Lebanon, and where demand for US military forces has exceeded the supply.
He faces a reconstituted al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan, a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, an emboldened regime in Tehran, political strife in Lebanon, and instability in Somalia and the Horn of Africa.
"Engagement will be a central aspect of my responsibilities as the CENTCOM commander, if confirmed," Petraeus said.
"In most of the issues we'll address, a purely military approach is unlikely to succeed and our strategy must recognize that," he said.
Petraeus said one of his first trips as the Centcom commander would be to Pakistan, whose new government has struck a peace deal with Taliban insurgents.
He highlighted the need to strengthen Pakistani security forces, which he said were not adequately equipped to "deal with the growth of terrorist elements and the insurgency in the FATA (Federal Administered Tribal Areas)."
"It is clear that we and other countries supporting Pakistan should support Islamabad as Pakistani leaders develop a comprehensive approach to countering extremist and insurgent activity," he said.