WASHINGTON – A progress report on Iraq will conclude that the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad has not met any of its targets for political, economic and other reform, a U.S. official said Monday.
One likely result of the report will be a vastly accelerated debate among President Bush’s top aides on withdrawing troops and scaling back the U.S. presence in Iraq.
“The facts are not in question,” the official said on condition of anonymity because the draft is still under discussion. “The real question is how the White House proceeds with a post-surge strategy in light of the report.”
Bush plans to launch a campaign emphasizing his intent to draw down U.S. forces next year and move toward a more limited mission if security conditions improve, senior officials told The Washington Post on Monday.
The report, required by law, is expected to be delivered to Capitol Hill by Thursday or Friday, as the Senate takes up a $649 billion defense policy bill and votes on a Democratic amendment ordering troop withdrawals to begin in 120 days.
Also being drafted are several Republican-backed proposals that would force a new course in Iraq, including one by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Ben Nelson, D-Neb., that would require U.S. troops to abandon combat missions and to focus on training the Iraqi security forces, targeting al-Qaida members and protecting Iraq’s borders.
This spring, Congress agreed to continue funding the war through September but demanded that Bush certify on Sunday and again on Sept. 15 that the Iraqis were living up to their political promises or forgo U.S. aid dollars.
The boost in troop levels in Iraq has increased the cost of war there and in Afghanistan to $12 billion a month, with the overall tally for Iraq alone nearing a half-trillion dollars, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which provides research and analysis to lawmakers.
The official said it is highly unlikely that Bush will withhold or suspend aid to the Iraqis based on the report due Sunday.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s foreign minister predicted that his country would splinter into warring fragments and the conflict could spread across its borders if U.S. troops pull out before Iraqi forces are ready to handle security.
Hoshyar Zebari’s sentiment was echoed by leading political figures from the Sunni Arab community.
“A hasty withdrawal … would lead to a crisis that would obliterate all the positive aspects of the U.S. troop deployment,” said Salim Abdullah, spokesman for the largest Sunni Arab bloc in parliament.
Iraq endured another day of bloodshed and political stagnation on Monday. More than 50 people were killed or found dead in violence believed linked to the sectarian war.
In the 275-seat parliament, two important political blocs, one Sunni and one Shiite, continued their boycotts, making it impossible for lawmakers to pass bills that would carry any sense of legitimacy.
Adding to security concerns, Zebari said 140,000 Turkish soldiers have massed at Iraq’s northern border, where the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party has bases and launches attacks on Turkish forces.
Last week Turkey said it had plans drawn up to cross the border if attacks did not stop.
If the foreign minister’s figures are accurate, Turkey would have nearly as many soldiers along its border with Iraq as the 155,000 troops the U.S. has in the country. But a Pentagon official disputed Zebari’s assertion that troops were massing, saying no such movement has been picked up by U.S. satellites gathering intelligence there.
U.S. military deaths
The latest identifications reported by the U.S. military of personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan:
Army Spc. Michelle R. Ring, 24, Martin, Tenn.; died Thursday of wounds sustained by mortar fire in Baghdad, Iraq; was assigned to the 92nd Military Police Battalion, Fort Benning, Ga.
Army Sgt. Keith A. Kline, 24, Oak Harbor, Ohio; was killed Thursday when his vehicle struck an explosive in Baghdad; was assigned to 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Army Spc. Christopher S. Honaker, 23, Cleveland, N.C.; and Army Pfc. Joseph A. Miracle, 22, Ortonville, Mich.; died Thursday of wounds sustained from small-arms fire and indirect fire in the Watapor Valley of Kunar province in Afghanistan; was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy.
Army Sgt. Thomas P. McGee, 23, Hawthorne, Calif.; died Friday of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an explosive in Wazi Khwa, Afghanistan; was assigned to the 546th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, Fort Stewart, Ga.
The latest identifications reported by the U.S. military of personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan:
Army Spc. Michelle R. Ring, 24, Martin, Tenn.; died Thursday of wounds sustained by mortar fire in Baghdad, Iraq; was assigned to the 92nd Military Police Battalion, Fort Benning, Ga.
Army Sgt. Keith A. Kline, 24, Oak Harbor, Ohio; was killed Thursday when his vehicle struck an explosive in Baghdad; was assigned to 96th Civil Affairs Battalion, 95th Civil Affairs Brigade, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Army Spc. Christopher S. Honaker, 23, Cleveland, N.C.; and Army Pfc. Joseph A. Miracle, 22, Ortonville, Mich.; died Thursday of wounds sustained from small-arms fire and indirect fire in the Watapor Valley of Kunar province in Afghanistan; was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy.
Army Sgt. Thomas P. McGee, 23, Hawthorne, Calif.; died Friday of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an explosive in Wazi Khwa, Afghanistan; was assigned to the 546th Military Police Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
