Bush weighs troop surge, vows "new course" in Iraq
Source: Reuters
(Recasts, adds new quotes) By Kristin Roberts and Ibon Villelabeitia BAGHDAD, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush pledged on Wednesday to chart "a new course" in Iraq and said he would only consider boosting U.S. troop numbers there if he was sure it would help to curb rampant sectarian violence. His new defence secretary, Robert Gates, made his first visit to Iraq to talk to U.S. commanders and Iraqi officials since being sworn into office two days ago. He said the commanders were not in favour of increasing U.S. troop numbers. "We are looking at all options and that includes increasing more troops," Bush told a news conference in Washington. "I have not made up my mind," he said. "There has to be a specific mission that can be accomplished with more troops before I agree on that strategy," he said. "My administration will work will Republicans and Democrats to fashion a new way forward in Iraq. Victory is still achievable." Bush is expected to announce a new U.S. strategy early in the new year for the unpopular war, which has so far claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis since the U.S. invasion in 2003. Gates and General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Baghdad for a two-day visit to meet U.S. commanders and Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He said commanders had expressed concern that a surge in U.S. forces might delay the time when Iraqis can assume control for security. He said he wanted to speak with Iraq's prime minister before making a judgment. "I think before I draw any conclusions on that I want to talk to the prime minister and others in the Iraqi government. It's clearly a consideration. The commanders here have expressed a concern about that." The former CIA director's visit follows a Pentagon report that said violence in Iraq was at an all-time high. Bush, who is facing mounting pressure to reduce America's military commitment in Iraq, predicted eventual victory and said the United States would not be "run out" of the Middle East by the Iraq crisis. "Failure in Iraq will condemn a generation of young Americans to permanent threat from overseas. Therefore, we will succeed in Iraq." Gates, who replaced Donald Rumsfeld, said on Monday failure in Iraq "would be a calamity that would haunt our nation, impair our credibility and endanger Americans for decades to come". NAJAF HANDOVER More than 3-1/2 years after the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, Iraq is gripped by soaring violence between majority Shi'ites and once-dominant Sunnis. Shortly before Gates arrived, a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a police checkpoint near Baghdad University, killing 11 people and wounding 31, security sources said. South of the capital, U.S.-led troops handed over command of Najaf province, home to Iraq's Shi'ite clerical establishment, to Iraqi security forces under a plan to gradually transfer security and allow the withdrawal of 130,000 American troops. Maliki has said Iraqis can take over security of all the country's 18 provinces by June despite doubts about the capabilities and the sectarian loyalties of the army and police. (Additional reporting by Aseel Kami in Baghdad and Claudia Parsons in Najaf)
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