U.S. Commanders say ‘No Way’ to Obama’s Iraq Withdrawal Plan
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Barack Obama tapped into a strong anti-war sentiment and picked up lots of votes by touting his Iraq withdrawal strategy, where he would “immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months.”
That idea played well in the Democratic primaries, but with the U.S. Commanders in Iraq? Not so much.
ABC News spoke with Major General Jeffery Hammond, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, which is responsible for Baghdad, and likely one of the military heads Obama will visit when he goes to Iraq.
Major General Hammond had this to say about drawing down two combat brigades a month…
“We still have a ways to go. Number one, we’re working on security and it’s very encouraging, that’s true, but what we’re really trying to achieve here is sustainable security on Iraqi terms. So, I think my first response to that would be let’s look at the conditions.
Instead of any time-based approach to any decision for withdrawal, it’s got to be conditions-based, with the starting point being an intelligence analysis of what might be here today, and what might lie ahead in the future. I still think we still have work that remains to be done before I can really answer that question.”
And the perspective of Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin, operational commander of all U.S. forces in Iraq regarding Obama’s stated plan to bring home the troops within 16 months?
“I’d have to see the entire plan. I’d have to understand the strategic objectives of the leadership, and based on those strategic objectives, come up with operational objectives. It’s very difficult to comment on one way or the other, whether one plan would work or one plan wouldn’t work. Right now, we are helping the Iraqis achieve sustainable security, and helping them to increase the capability of the Iraqi security forces, and we are making great progress along those lines.”
As far as logistics, several commanders who spoke with ABC News stated there was “no way” it could work.
Hopefully, the voters that were romanced by hope and change will examine the other promises of Obama that have no way of working.
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