America's military commander in Iraq will deliver his assessment on Monday of the effectiveness of President George Bush's "surge" of additional troops, in a report to Congress which will have profound implications for the future of Britain's commitment.
General David Petraeus is widely expected to say that the extra 20,000-plus US troops sent to Iraq since January have significantly reduced sectarian violence and should be extended.
Gen Petraeus was appointed commander of Multi-National Forces in Iraq in January to implement President Bush's "New Way Forward" plan, which envisaged an increase in troop numbers to quell insurgent activity in Baghdad and give the national government space to establish effective structures for security and governance.
His appearance before Congress alongside US Ambassador Ryan Crocker comes ahead of a report on the war which President Bush must deliver by September 15.
The general foreshadowed his probable verdict in a recent letter to US forces in which he wrote: "My sense is that we have achieved tactical momentum and wrested the initiative from our enemies in a number of areas of Iraq."
But doubts over the ability of the Iraqi government to take advantage of any improvements in the security situation were raised by last week's report by the US Government Accountability Office, which found it had failed to meet 11 of 18 benchmarks for political reform.
A second study by retired US Marine general James Jones warned that American-trained Iraqi forces will not be ready to take on combat duties alone for 12 to 18 months.
"Our future role in Iraq should be put at the top of the political agenda."
Source : ukpress.google.com
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