WAR: U.S. Troops Extend Stay In Iraq, page 1

The U.S. will not be pulling its troops out of Iraq any time soon. Paul Bremer, who is in charge of the transition of power in Iraq, made this statement while defending Washington's decision to keep U.S. troops in Iraq for a longer period of time. The Iraqi government is still on schedule to be up and running on June 30 this year, but the power to control the security of the country is still up to the U.S. troops in Iraq.

Canada.com

BAGHDAD - Iraqi security forces will not be ready to protect the country against insurgents by the June 30 handover of power, the top U.S. administrator said Sunday -- an assessment aimed at defending the continued heavy presence of American troops here even after an Iraqi government takes over.

When facing opposition from other Iraqis, the Iraqi security forces are not putting up a fight. They just aren't prepared emotionally to fight people from their own country. The U.S. doesn't seem to be too concerned with the current situation either. They are downsizing the force around Najaf from 2,500 to 2,000. Najaf is believed to be the current location of Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite leader who is behind the recent uprising.

If the U.S. is looking for an excuse to stay in Iraq for a longer period of time, they simply have to ease off of the Iraqi opposition. By extending the Iraqi uprising, and keeping the country in disorder, the incoming Iraqi leadership will have no choice but to keep the U.S. around for an extended period. Spain is pulling all of its forces out, and the U.N. will not send in any troops because of past incidents. Where is the "shock and awe" of the U.S. military? How is it possible that the U.S. can conquer the world's fourth largest army in a few weeks, but a few thousand insurgents can hold them off for a month? While it is possible that budget constraints are behind the letting up of U.S. firepower, the question has to be raised. What is taking so long, and why is the U.S. waiting for the opposition to think things over?

[Edited on 19-4-2004 by dbates]