Military Expert Agrees that it's Coming Time to Withdraw from Iraq - 17 Nov 2003
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...As the Bush Administration defends its policies in Iraq against war protesters and policy analysts who feel withdrawal of American troops from Iraq is long overdue, one military expert is agrees that "the clock is ticking and that people will eventually grow tired of our occupation." Retired Colonel Bob Maginnis notes that such tensions also characterized U.S. military occupations in the past and says America faced similar scenarios after World War II, when many were calling on officials to put an end to U.S. military operations in Germany and Japan. "We did it prudently in that case and I expect we'll do much the same in this situation," Maginnis says. Meanwhile, the military command in Iraq is making changes in its policies to help stabilize the nation and crack down on the insurgents who are terrorizing American troops and innocent Iraqi civilians. Maginnis, who recently visited Iraq, says a key element to stabilizing the country is getting more Iraqis involved in the authoritative forces that will keep the peace. He says those Iraqis worked into the system so far amount to just less than half of the number needed. According to the colonel, the Pentagon's numbers are a bit soft, but officials project trying to get as many as 200,000 Iraqis involved in the peacekeeping effort over the next year, in addition to the total Iraqi presence on the borders, at the police stations, and in Iraqi army positions. U.S. officials believe the use of more Iraqi citizens in peacekeeping efforts will lead to a safer situation. Meanwhile, more U.S. special operations and assault teams can be freed up to continue sweeping across insurgents' strongholds, as Iraqi citizens take on more responsibility. |