Obama to Discuss Iraq Troop Drawdown on Wednesday
Reuters
Washington - Barack Obama on Wednesday will meet top defense and military officials for the first time as president to discuss the possibility of accelerating the drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq, officials said.
According to officials, President Barack Obama will meet with defense and military leadership to discuss expediting a troop withdrawal plan in Iraq. (Photo: Reuters)
Obama, who has pledged to pull U.S. combat forces out of Iraq within 16 months, was also expected to discuss the need for more forces in Afghanistan at the White House with a Pentagon delegation led by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, officials said.
The United States currently has 142,000 troops in Iraq and 33,000 in Afghanistan.
Obama made the 16-month Iraq withdrawal timetable a centerpiece of his presidential campaign despite misgivings among commanders who have advised a cautious approach to troop cuts.
The president-elect also said he would confer with senior defense and military officials before reaching a final decision.
Gen. David Petraeus, the former Iraq commander credited with pulling the country from the brink of civil war, was due to fly to the United States from Afghanistan to attend Wednesday's meeting in person, a senior military official said. Petraeus now oversees U.S. war efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan as head of U.S. Central Command.
U.S. Commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, was expected to join the conversation via video-link from Iraq.
Pentagon leaders were expected to provide Obama with a menu of withdrawal options and their respective inherent risks, including one for a 16-month drawdown.
A 16-month withdrawal would have combat forces out of Iraq in May 2010. The United States recently reached an agreement with Iraq that would require all U.S. forces to leave by the end of 2011.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the new president would instruct the Pentagon to prepare for a stepped-up withdrawal of combat troops and hear proposals for addressing a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
The Post also said Obama has indicated he would move ahead with proposed plans to send as many as 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
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(Reporting by David Morgan, editing by Anthony Boadle)