Odierno requests more combat forces in Iraq -- beyond the Obama deadline

[sabra]

Source: FP/Tom Ricks

In a move that could force President Obama to break his vow to get all combat troops out of Iraq by August of this year, his top commander in Iraq recently officially requested keeping a combat brigade in the northern part of the country beyond that deadline, three people close to the situation said Wednesday.

Gen. Raymond Odierno asked for a brigade to try to keep the peace in the disputed city of Kirkuk, but only got a polite nod from the president when the issue was raised during his recent meetings in Washington, according to two of the people familiar with the discussions. If the brigade in northern Iraq is indeed kept in Iraq past the deadline, there will be a fan dance under which it no longer will be called a combat unit, but like the six other combat brigades being kept past the deadline, will be called an advisory unit. I can imagine the press releases that will follow-"Three U.S. Army soldiers were killed last night in an advisory operation . . . ."

The feeling in the corridors of the White House is that the general is asking the right questions, but a bit clumsily, and certainly too early for political comfort, especially in Iraq, which is about to hold a national election. So I suspect the administration's bottom line for Odierno was, Hey, Shreko, put a sock in it until after the Iraqi elections, because what we need is a new Iraqi government to be formed so it can quietly begin talking to us about re-visiting some of those 2008 SOFA agreements about future troop levels.


Read more: http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/02/25/odierno_requests_more_combat_forces_in_iraq_beyond_the_obama_deadline

[ShortnFiery]

1. Back stepping already ... and the "surge" in Afghanistan is not yet full bore.

[Kolesar]

2. WRONG

Page-filling graphics notwithstanding

[icee]

3. Right. This could have been foretold easily. Wonder how many

more innocents we'll kill?

[Arctic Dave]

4. I can't believe people fell for this ruse to begin with.

"If the brigade in northern Iraq is indeed kept in Iraq past the deadline, there will be a fan dance under which it no longer will be called a combat unit, but like the six other combat brigades being kept past the deadline, will be called an advisory unit."

If we call them unicorns will it make it true?