|
U.S. withdrawing third "surge" brigade from Iraq
2008-05-06
The third of five U.S. extra brigades sent to Iraq last year to help curb spiraling sectarian violence is returning home, the U.S. military said. The redeployment of about 3,500 soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division in the next several weeks, is part of a wider plan to withdraw the five "surge brigades," or 20,000 troops, by the end of July. U.S. President George W. Bush last month suspended further troop withdrawals from July, imposing a 45-day freeze on the remaining 140,000 troops to assess the security situation before considering more cuts. The brigades are credited with helping to reduce violence in Iraq by 60 percent since last June, but the U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, told U.S. Congressional hearings in April that progress was "fragile and reversible." "The continuing drawdown of surge brigades demonstrates continued progress in Iraq," Brigadier-General Dan Allyn, chief of staff of Multi-National Corps - Iraq said in a statement late on Monday. But the drawdown comes at a time when U.S. forces are locked in daily street battles in Baghdad with Shi'ite militia fighters loyal to anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The fighting has taken a deadly toll on U.S. soldiers, threatened to unravel many of the security gains and drawn U.S. forces deeper into the conflict between the Shi'ite-led government and Sadr, a populist Shi'ite leader. The five brigades were sent to Iraq to help give Iraqi political leaders time to reach a political accommodation and defuse sectarian tensions. Critics say the government has largely failed to take advantage of this window of opportunity. The Iraq war is a major issue in the November U.S. presidential election, with Democratic nominees Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton calling for troops to be brought home as soon as possible and Republican candidate John McCain warning of the dangers of withdrawing the troops too soon. The 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, from Fort Benning, Georgia, has been deployed in Baghdad province since March 2007 and was charged with stemming the flow of materials for bombs into the capital. The U.S. military said in a statement that the Combat Team had captured more than 600 suspected militants, unearthed many weapons caches and significantly reduced violence in their area. (Writing by Ross Colvin; Editing by Charles Dick)
|  | | | Profile |
News10765 | Gallery | Links | |
|
 Baghdad car bomb kills six, wounds 14: police (2008-07-06) | | UAE cancels Iraq debt, names new envoy (2008-07-06) | | US removes uranium from Iraq (2008-07-05) | | U.S., Iraq narrow differences over forces pact, Iraq says (2008-07-05) | | Iraq says near agreement with US on military pact (2008-07-02) | | Iraqi foreign minister urges deal with US (2008-07-01) | | Hezbollah said to train Shiite militiamen in Iraq (2008-07-01) | | U.S. forces to hand over hard-won Anbar Province (2008-07-01) | | US, NATO deaths in Afghanistan pass Iraq toll (2008-06-30) | | Bush signs Iraq and Afghanistan war-funding (2008-06-30) | | Iraq throws open door to foreign oil firms (2008-06-30) | | Abu Ghraib inmates sue contractors, claim torture (2008-06-30) | | Iraqi notice on oil does not include contracts (2008-06-30) | | Army study: Iraq occupation was understaffed (2008-06-29) | | Sen. Kerry facing first Democratic foe in decades (2008-06-29) | | Truck bomb kills 7 people north of Baghdad (2008-06-29) | | U.S. faces Iraqi anger over raid near Kerbala (2008-06-29) | | Iraq police find 7 bodies, suspected al Qaeda jail (2008-06-28) | | Officials: 30,000 troops heading to Iraq in 2009 (2008-06-27) | | Iraqi officials outraged by U.S. raid in PM's hometown (2008-06-27) | | US delays Anbar handover due to weather (2008-06-27) | | Car bomb in northern Iraq kills 18, wounds 60 (2008-06-26) | | Army speeds high-tech arms to infantry (2008-06-26) | | Bombs kill 40 in Iraq, Anbar handover still on (2008-06-26) | | 3 Americans killed, Shiite fighting in south (2008-06-25) |
|
|
|
|
|
