US combat troops could be out of Baghdad by July: Petraeus

[sabra]

Source: AFP

LONDON (AFP) — American combat troops could be out of Baghdad by July 2009, the outgoing top US general in Iraq said in an interview published Thursday.

Asked by the Financial Times whether it was possible that US combat troops could leave the Iraqi capital by then, General David Petraeus replied: "Conditions permitting, yeah."

"The number of attacks in Baghdad lately has been, gosh, I think it's probably less than five (a day) on average, and that's a city of seven million people," he said.

Petraeus, the architect of the troop surge escalation strategy credited by the Bush administration with improving security in Iraq, was promoted to run US Central Command in July, and will head all US operations in the Middle East, including the war in Afghanistan.

He told the business daily that Iraq was a "dramatically changed country" since he took over in February 2007, adding that there "is certainly a degree of hope that was not present 19 months ago."

Read more: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hJ2XF5fv-O9e67Qi2b_PIh_VjaSQ

[Phred42]

1. This is why Cheney is in the Caucuses - They need to gen up another war somewhere

[Tempest]

2. Isn't that when the Iraqis want us out?

Does this mean Bush is accepting Iraq's withdrawal demands?

[uppityperson]

3. So are they going to be moved just outside Baghdad then?

Again, maybe technically right, but still wrong.

[Tempest]

4. They're being moved

To the North, south, east and west of Tikrit.

[PATRICK]

5. Hell, he'll promise

to airlift them all out the day McCain gets elected if that'll win votes. just don't expect anything to happen that can't revolve back.