Iraq Defense Minister Sees Need For US Troops Until 2018

New York Times:

The Iraqi defense minister said Monday that his nation would not be able to take full responsibility for its internal security until 2012, nor be able on its own to defend Iraq's borders from external threat until at least 2018.

Those comments from the minister, Abdul Qadir, were among the most specific public projections of a timeline for the American commitment in Iraq by officials in either Washington or Baghdad. And they suggested a longer commitment than either government had previously indicated.

Pentagon officials expressed no surprise at Mr. Qadir's projections, which were even less optimistic than those he made last year.

President Bush has never given a date for a military withdrawal from Iraq but has repeatedly said that American forces would stand down as Iraqi forces stand up. Given Mr. Qadir's assessment of Iraq's military abilities on Monday, such a withdrawal appeared to be quite distant, and further away than any American officials have previously stated in public.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[hopeless277]

If the U.S. EVER leaves Iraq, it will be because the Iraqi's drove them out by force. The U.S. has NO INTENTIONS of EVER leaving Iraq. The Democrats have now been purchased by Big Oil so their goals in Iraq are now the same as the Republicans. Exxon/Mobil wants Iraqi oil, all of it, forever. This country will be spending $2 billion a week forever. At least until the Iraqi's realize that they will be ruled by a foreign occupier till the end of time. Maybe then they'll get mad enough to burn that damned $750 million dollar embassy and kill enough Americans to make it 'cost-prohibitive' to do business in Iraq. Then and ONLY THEN will the U.S. leave Iraq. It just can't come soon enough.

[MajorKong]

Where have I seen this before? Isn't this the same game that the Soviets used to play? Install a puppet government who then, amazingly enough, invites you to stay?

[Independent voter]

It takes 70 days of training to take a gomer who fell of the back of a tractor and turn him into a United States Marine.

Why can't these Iraqi's get up to speed a little faster than 16 years (5840 days) ??

But then I have to ask, what's the incentive for the Iraqi's to pay their own way in blood and treasure?

[Moshe]

Troops till 2018?

But I thought the "surge" was a big success?

Iraq is an unmitigated disaster. The only reasons we have seen a temporary marginal reduction in violence are: 1) We have made a deal with the devils on both sides, trading money/weapons for temporary cooperation (but in the meantime we are arming both sides in a coming civil war); 2) Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are already dead, and most everyone else that can leave Iraq already has.

Nonetheless, the MSM in the U.S. is pushing these bullsh-t lies like it was the gospel truth, and painting the "surge" as success in Iraq. Does this look like success to you:

U.S. MILITARY DEATHS (IRAQ): 3,923
U.S. MILITARY WOUNDED (IRAQ): 28,870
IRAQI CIVILIAN DEATHS: 151,000
'EXCESS' IRAQI DEATHS: 655,000

And an indefinate commitment of troops in a losing cause.

Bottom line: Bush, Inc., just wants to keep the lid on the situation until he can walk away from it in January '09 and then when the sh-t so predictably hits the fan, he and the neo-cons will blame the whole mess on the next president, as if they had nothing to do with it.

[ajax2]

Iraq Defense Minister Sees Need For US Dollars Until 2018

[captnEarl]

Let him hire our paid killers"BLACKWATER"

[OkieMon]

Saudis and Iranians are itching to send troops to Iraq...let them take our place. The sunnis need representation anyway. Oops that would be handing the oil over to the saudis and iranians and we can't do that because the oil belongs to us now.

[hopeless277]

Support the Troops, leave 'em in Iraq FOREVER. Why not? Only about 50-75 are being murdered a month. That's GREAT news!! We win, we win, we win. USA, USA, USA!!! Yea, America!! We're the best!!! Invest in GD, Halliburton, KBR, or any of 1000 military supply companies and make WARBUCKS! It's estimated that for every dead American kid in Iraq, Halliburton makes $100K. Let's see that's 3924 X 100,000 = $392,400,000.00. HELL of a good return, don't cha think? Works for me! USA, USA, USA!!!!

[tomcat27834]

SURPRISE !!!!!!!! ***NOT***

GWBush's incompetence has put the back of our great country against a wall.

When will impeachment proceedings begin?

[rabun666]

Why is it that Israel and Iraq run the USA? BUSH VISITS ISRAEL so he can find out how high Olmert wants him to jump when told by Olmert. The Bush legacy must end. He's trying to make the next president's be a continuation of his, Bush's, presidency. Iraq is the cornerstone of Bush's policies and to stop the Bush doctrine requires that the USA exit Iraq. Bush and the Republicans want to govern the DSA, Divided States of America, and their strategy was to create divisions in Iraq, between Sunni and Shia where none existed before. Immediately, the US military would call local leaders into a meeting and sit them separately, which was not the custom in Iraq previously.

[pesfb]

Fuck him! Tell him to hire Blackwater with some of those billions of our taxpayers' dollars the chimp-in-chief has handed over.

[getoffmedz]

Suggestion.

Why doesn't Iraq just apply for statehood?

[lornejl]

Well, if the installed puppet Iraq defense minister thinks we should stay in Iraq for another 10 years, I guess we have no choice but to do what he says.

[MIKEBC]

TIL 2018, YEAH RIGHT, WITH THESE GOP WARS COSTING THE USA $275 MILLION PER DAY, IF YOU WANT THE USA BANKRUPTED THEN KEEP VOTING GOP, THE WHOLE WORLD IS NOW WATCHING TO SEE IF WE'RE STUPID ENOUGH TO KEEP THE CONSERVATIVES IN POWER IN NOV.

[VivaZapata]

we ignored bin laden's words, as if we were fighting some other enemy, when he said, "we will drain you dry and cause your downfall, like we did with the soviet union." something like that. shame on the people who brought misery to iraq and the united states. bush is the most anti american president ever.