Iraq - soldiers - USA

US troop withdrawal 'should be conditions-based'

Monday 17 November 2008

The US troop withdrawal from Iraq, according to which troops will pull out by end of 2011, should be conditions-based, US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen said a day after the Iraqi cabinet approved a deal with the US.

The withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, set to be completed by the end of 2011 under a proposed deal between Baghdad and Washington, should depend on the situation on the ground, US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen said on Monday.
  
"I do think it is important that this be conditions-based," Mullen told reporters, referring to the eventual withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.
  
Mullen spoke a day after the Iraqi cabinet approved a deal negotiated with the US administration, known as the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), that calls for US troops to pull out of Iraq in three years time.
  
Mullen said he was aware of the deadline set out by the agreement, saying: "I certainly understand the boundaries."
  
But the admiral suggested the deal might be revisited at some point between now and 2011.
  
"And so three years is a long time. Conditions could change in that period of time," said Mullen, adding the United States will continue to talk with Baghdad "as conditions continue to evolve."
  
Asked if the agreement could be changed, he said "that's theoretically possible."
  
Mullen's view appeared to contradict calls from President-elect Barack Obama to withdraw US combat troops from Iraq by mid-2010.
  
The admiral said he would offer his advice to the new president, who takes office on January 20, and then follow his orders.
  
"Should president-elect Obama give me direction, I would carry that out. I mean, that's what I do as a senior member of the military."