Bush Plans to Keep Majority of Troops in Iraq

By Pamela Mortimer

Last Tuesday, President Bush held a press conference announcing that approximately 8,000 troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by February. A Marine battalion, originally scheduled to be deployed to Iraq has been redirected to Afghanistan to combat potential unrest. Despite the redirection, Bush plans to keep the bulk of U.S. forces in Iraq until the election of a new president can take place.

The Marines’ presence in Afghanistan is considered to be a precautionary measure against what is being called a "quiet surge". The troops are expected to be deployed sometime in November, to be followed by an Army combat brigade in January. The Army brigade will be comprised of 3,500-4,000 troops.

Many member partners of NATO have been aware of the rise in violence in Afghanistan and have sent thousands more troops into the country. Among the countries responding are: The UK, Germany, France, Poland, Denmark, Romania, Bulgaria, Australia, and the Czech Republic.

"These troop increases represent a 'quiet surge' in Afghanistan. In all, the number of American troops in the country increased from less than 21,000 two years ago to nearly 31,000 today. The number of coalition troops — including NATO troops — increased from about 20,000 to about 31,000. And the number of trained Afghan army and police forces increased from less than 67,000 to nearly 144,000," he said.

The mission of the troops is to work alongside Afghan forces "to provide security for the Afghan people, protect Afghanistan's infrastructure and democratic institutions and help insure access to services like education and health care.

"They will show the citizens of Afghanistan that the government and its partners will stand with them in the battle against the Taliban and extremists," the president said in a speech at the National Defense University.

Democrats have been pushing Bush to take troops out of Iraq and to increase forces in Afghanistan where violence has escalated.

"The president's plan to reduce force levels in Iraq may seem to signal movement in the right direction, but it really defers troop reductions until the next administration," said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo. "More significant troop reductions in Iraq are needed so that we can start to rebuild U.S. military readiness and provide the additional forces needed to finish the fight in Afghanistan."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stated: "I am stunned that President Bush has decided to bring so few troops home from Iraq and send so few resources to Afghanistan."

Bush's "plan comes up short," said Barack Obama. "It is not enough troops, and not enough resources, with not enough urgency.

"I am convinced that it is time to change our foreign policy," he said.