Political Forum - View Single Post - ME Commander Admiral Fallon-Iraq violence down

DuH2 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-04-2008, 01:26 AM

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WASHINGTON - The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East says there has been a dramatic decrease of violence in Iraq, but such gains are not irreversible.

"By almost every measure, the security situation has improved significantly," said Adm. William Fallon in remarks prepared for a hearing Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Still, "multiple strains of violent extremism remain a threat to the government and populace and some of these groups benefit from external support," namely Iran and Syria, he added.

Fallon's cautious optimism could help lay the groundwork for a halt in troop reductions in Iraq this summer. Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, is expected to ask President Bush to wait until as late as September to decide whether to bring home more troops than already scheduled.

By July, the Pentagon is on track to complete its reduction from 20 to 15 active-duty Army brigades deployed to Iraq. Petraeus, who is slated to testify before Congress on April 8-9, has said he favors a "period of assessment" after that so as not to lose the security gains made in recent months.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080304/..._st_pe/us_iraq

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Quote:

Sfc. Ahmed Edwards from Kinqston, Jamaica, of Charlie Company, 1st Platoon, 1-15 Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat team, 3rd Infantry Division, walks next to an Iraqi child who tries to fly a kite during a routine patrol at Salman Pak city about 30 miles (45 kilometers), south of Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday, March. 3, 2008