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Troop withdrawal on track - Bush
12/01/2008 12:22 - (SA)
Camp Arifjan - The United States
is on track to complete the withdrawal of 20 000 troops from
Iraq by mid-year, and further reductions will depend on military
recommendations, US President George W Bush said on Saturday.
Speaking after meeting his military commander in Iraq,
General David Petraeus, and the US ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan
Crocker, at a base in Kuwait, Bush said security improvements in
Iraq "are allowing some US forces to return home".
"Any additional reductions will be based on the
recommendations of General Petraeus," he said. "Conditions on
the ground will be those that guide his recommendations. "I need
to know his considered judgment to make sure that the security
gains ... remain in place." Al-Qaeda 'dealt heavy blows'
Bush said security had greatly improved in Iraq since a US
troop "surge" was launched last year.
"Levels of violence are significantly reduced. Hope is
returning to Baghdad," he said, adding that the al-Qaeda network
in Iraq had been "dealt heavy blows".
He urged Iran and Syria to do more to curb violence in Iraq.
"Iran's role in fomenting violence has been exposed," he said.
He added that while Iraq's government had been making some
progress, it needed to do more.
"Have they done enough? No," he said.
Bush arrived in Kuwait on Friday evening after wrapping up
his first presidential visit to Israel and the occupied West
Bank.
- Reuters
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