Iraq: Bush considers his options
2006-12-09 09:59
Washington - Following the unveiling of a report by the Iraq Study Group, the administration of United States President George W Bush is focusing on three main options to redefine the US military and political engagement in the country, reports The Washington Post.
Citing unnamed officials familiar with the debate, the paper said on Saturday that the major alternatives included a short-term surge of 15 000 to 30 000 additional US troops to secure Baghdad and accelerate the training of Iraqi forces.
Another strategy would redirect the US military away from the internal strife to focus mainly on hunting terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda.
The report said the third strategy would concentrate political attention on supporting the majority Shi'ites and abandon US efforts to reach out to Sunni insurgents.
Bush and his advisers are rushing to complete their crash review and craft a new formula in the next two weeks.
Some close to the process say the major goal seems to be to stake out alternatives to the plan presented by the Iraq Study Group, says The Post.
US wants to 'disengage'
But the growing undercurrent of discussions within the administration was shifting responsibility for Iraq's problems to Iraqis, reported the paper.
Sources familiar with the deliberations described fatigue, frustration and a growing desire to disengage from Iraq, said The Post.
The crash White House review - which involves the state department, the national security council, the CIA and the Pentagon - is tentatively expected to lead to a speech to the nation in the week of December 18.
While one of the options involves a surge of US troops, there is no agreement on what the mission of those forces will be, according to the report.
The Post said discussions centred on accelerating the training of Iraqi forces and securing Baghdad before turning it over to the Iraqis.
The goal generally, it said, could be to improve Iraq's defence capabilities so US combat troops could begin to withdraw.