Gates: 'Significant Military Success' In Iraq

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From 'AFP': US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday touted military success in Iraq, and stressed he did not expect changes to US troop drawdown plans there. Asked if the United States will have achieved victory when it withdraws from Iraq, Gates said "we have had a significant success (on) the military side," while acknowledging "the political side is still a work in progress in Iraq. "Frankly, I think before you start using terms like 'won' or 'lost' or 'victory' or 'defeat,' those are the kinds of things that I think historians have to judge," he told NBC television.

President Barack Obama on Friday ordered an end to US combat in Iraq within 18 months, by August 31, 2010. The announcement was politely received by an audience of Marines. The new US leader said up to 50,000 US troops, down from the current 142,000-strong force, would remain in Iraq under a new mission until the end of 2011, nearly nine years after his predecessor George W. Bush ordered an invasion to topple late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Asked about the projections for the troop levels of an interim force, which angered many Obama supporters eager for a full withdrawal, Gates said: "I don't think it was a concession (to commanders). I think that there was a lot of analysis of the risks that were involved. I think that if the commanders had had complete say in this matter that they would've preferred that the combat mission not end until the end of 2010," he said. So "it was really a dialogue between the commanders in the field, the joint chiefs here myself, the chairman and the president, in terms of how you mitigate risk and how you structure this going forward," Gates said. "Having a somewhat larger residual, or transition, force, mitigates the risk of having the combat units go out sooner," he explained.

Gates acknowledged the picture was anything but uncomplicated and rosy. "Mosul is a problem. The Arab/Kurd tensions are a problem. The need to get an oil law is a problem. So, there are problems," he said. "We have the concerns associated with a national election at the end of this year as one of the reasons why [US military commander in Iraq General Ray] Odierno wanted to keep those troops there as long as possible. Or a significant number of troops." While "there has been real progress on the political side ... there is clearly unfinished business in that arena, as well."