The top U.S. diplomat in Iraq said Friday that the United States plans to keep combat troops there into 2009, which is seen as the tipping point for establishing the nation's long-term security. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said that America remains "a center of gravity" and that violence reduction and political development both hinge to a considerable degree on whether U.S. forces remain there.
Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus, the commander in Iraq, are working from a blueprint that calls for "conditions-based withdrawal," the ambassador said. That could bring combat troops home by sometime next year if security conditions allow it but leave other forces for long-haul missions such as training.
Crocker said the two men stand by an earlier assessment that Iraq would be more or less secure and stable by summer of 2009. He and Petraeus will present their next report to Congress in April.
President Bush has indicated that he is willing to leave more troops in Iraq at the close of his presidency to meet current security needs.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
