General, Diplomat: Don't Cut Buildup Yet

Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq is interviewed by The Associated Press in Baghdad, Thursday, July 26, 2007. (AP Photo/Robert Burns) (Robert Burns - AP)

BAGHDAD -- The top U.S. general and diplomat in Iraq warned on Thursday against cutting short the American troop buildup and suggested they would urge Congress in September to give President Bush's strategy more time.

Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus, in separate Associated Press interviews at their offices in the U.S. Embassy on the banks of the Tigris, were careful not to define a timeframe for continuing the counterinsurgency strategy _ and the higher U.S. troop levels _ that began six months ago.

Still, Petraeus' comments signaled that he would like to see a substantial U.S. combat force remain on its current course well into 2008 and perhaps beyond. He said that a drawdown from today's level of 160,000 U.S. troops is coming but he would not say when.

Petraeus said he and his top deputy, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, are working on how to carry out a reduction in the extra troops Bush ordered to Baghdad and to Anbar province. He said the drawdown would be done "over time, without undermining what we've fought to achieve."

"There is a lot more that we certainly will try to do," Petraeus said.

With the American public's patience wearing thin, many in Congress are pressing for a troop reduction soon. Bush has resisted, saying he is waiting to receive the advice of Petraeus and Crocker in September.

Pressed repeatedly on when he thought troop levels could be reduced and other U.S. involvement scaled back, Crocker said: "It's going to take longer than September."

He said he saw his mission as ensuring "we're all looking at reality. I don't think any service is done either in Iraq or the U.S. by saying, again, 'It's going to be OK by November.' This is hard. There is tremendous damage that's been done physically, politically, socially and it's going to take time to repair."

U.S. military officers have said in recent interviews that while troop levels should be determined as conditions evolve, they see little reason to remove the full 30,000 U.S. troop buildup before next summer. Some say they can foresee beginning some reductions by summer or earlier.

Petraeus said he would make his case in September, when he and Crocker are due to report to Congress on military and political progress and on their recommendations for the future.

He said the troop buildup has clearly established "tactical momentum," meaning its more aggressive efforts to secure volatile neighborhoods in Baghdad and areas around the capital are succeeding. The bigger issue is whether those gains will lead to a stability that can be sustained over time.

"The surge enables us to turn the tide just a bit in key places," the four-star general said in an hour-long interview.