New commander says there is no military solution in Iraq

[cal04]

Patrick Cockburn

The US military commander in Iraq is looking for further reinforcements while admitting that the war cannot be won without reconciliation with militants.

The US administration announced in January that it was going to send an extra 21,500 troops to Baghdad and Anbar province west of the capital. Since then, the Pentagon has said that it will send a further 7,000 support troops of whom 2,200 will be military police, to handle an increased number of Iraqi detainees.

General David Petraeus, US commander in Iraq, said that some of the reinforcements would go to Diyala province, east of Baghdad, where Sunni insurgents are on the offensive.

But he added that military force alone was "not sufficient" to end violence in Iraq and political talks must include militant groups now fighting the US. "This is critical," said General Petraeus, adding that such negotiations "will determine in the long run the success of this effort".

The US reinforcements, though they have hitherto been slow to arrive in Iraq, would raise the number of US troops there to 160,000 in 2008. The request for more troops by General Petraeus indicates that the "surge" to regain control in Baghdad announced by President Bush, in reality, means prolonging and expanding the US occupation.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2341357.ece

[saltpoint]

1. I appreciate Petraeus' comments on the need for negotiation.

Too bad his boss doesn't have the same good sense.