Casey Eyes Iraq Troop Reduction

Commander Still Eyes Iraq Troop Reduction

Generals Casey and Abizaid appear to be taking pains to state this on the record, presumably with White House and Pentagon approval. This means a message is being sent, possibly just for domestic consumption, or possibly for the Iraqi government.

Senior military commanders said Sunday that Iraqi security forces are improving significantly as U.S. officials stood by earlier assessments that some U.S. forces could return home early next year.

The generals played down the fact that the number of top-level battalions of Iraqi soldiers _ those ready to go to war without U.S. assistance _ has fallen from three to one since June.

More important to the mission of training Iraqis is the growing number of Iraqi security forces at all levels, including those able to lead operations with U.S. backing, said Gen. George W. Casey, the commander of multinational forces in Iraq.

“The development of the Iraqi security forces is very much on track,” Casey told ABC’s “This Week.

He said the goal is to develop Iraqi forces that can operate without U.S. assistance. “You don’t build an army to that level overnight … it’s going to be some time for them to get there,” Casey said.

Both Casey and Gen. John P. Abizaid, who heads the U.S. Central Command and has overall responsibility for military aspects of the global fight against terrorism, have said U.S. troop levels could decrease in the spring if political and security conditions in Iraq were favorable.

That assessment appeared in question last week when Abizaid and Casey told a Senate committee about the reduction in top-level Iraqi battalions. Some lawmakers expressed concern about the pace and overall success of the training mission.

On Sunday, Abizaid said more Iraqis are in the field at various levels of training and are participating in security operations than before. Field commanders, both U.S. and Iraqi, are confident and remain optimistic that progress is being made, he said.

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