Oct 30, 2011

U.S. military leaving Iraq, but not the region

By John Bacon, USA TODAY Updated 38m ago

The Obama administration will strengthen the U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf after remaining troops leave Iraq by year's end, The New York Times reports, citing military and diplomatic sources.

That could include combat forces in Kuwait able to respond to upheaval in Iraq or a confrontation with Iran, the Times reports.

"Ending the eight-year war was a central pledge of his presidential campaign, but American military officers and diplomats, as well as officials of several countries in the region, worry that the withdrawal could leave instability or worse in its wake," the Times reports.

The Iraqi government refused to permit as many as 20,000 American troops to remain in Iraq beyond 2011, forcing the Pentagon to develop an alternative plan, the paper says.

"Back to the future" is how Maj. Gen. Karl R. Horst, Central Command's chief of staff, described the plan. "We are kind of thinking of going back to the way it was before we had a big 'boots on the ground' presence," Horst told the Times. "I think it is healthy. I think it is efficient. I think it is practical."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. will have "a robust continuing presence throughout the region, which is proof of our ongoing commitment to Iraq and to the future of that region, which holds such promise and should be freed from outside interference to continue on a pathway to democracy."

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