General urges more time in Iraq

BAGHDAD – U.S. military commanders said Friday the troop buildup in Iraq must be maintained until at least next summer and they may need as long as two years to ensure parts of the country are stable.

The battlefield generals’ pleas for more time come in the face of growing impatience in the United States and a push on Capitol Hill to begin withdrawing U.S. troops as soon as this fall.

Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said in an interview that if the buildup is reversed before next summer, the military will risk giving up the security gains it has achieved at a cost of hundreds of American lives over the past six months.

“It’s going to take through summer, into the fall, to defeat the extremists in my battle space, and it’s going to take me into next spring and summer to generate this sustained security presence,” said Lynch, who commands U.S. forces south of Baghdad.

U.S. forces are working to build the Iraq military’s ability to hold the gains made during the latest combat operations.

The White House said it still expects top commanders to deliver a report in September assessing the progress in Iraq, including whether the Iraqi government and its security forces have met 18 political and security benchmarks.

Maj. Gen. W.E. Gaskin, U.S. commander in the Anbar province, said it would take two years before Iraqis can be self-sufficient in running their government and security forces. Speaking to Pentagon reporters by video conference from Iraq, Gaskin said coalition efforts “have turned the corner … broken the cycle of violence in Anbar.” But, he added, “you cannot buy nor can you fast-forward experience. It has to be worked out.”