Petraeus: Iraq 'Challenges' to Last for Years
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Conditions in Iraq will not  improve sufficiently by September to justify  a drawdown of U.S. military forces, the top  commander in Iraq said yesterday.
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The top American commander in Iraq on Wednesday said U.S.-trained Iraqi security forces were still not ready to take over the counterinsurgency and there was no guarantee they will ever be able to defeat it on their own.
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The ministerâs comments suggested a longer U.S. commitment in Iraq than had previously been indicated.
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The United States will maintain its   enlarged force in Iraq at current levels until at least mid   -2007, the top U.S. general in the Middle East said on Tuesday,   as Washington scrambles to prevent all-out sectarian war.
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Critics say a long-term US military presence may provoke greater Iraqi resistance of the 'occupier.'
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The U.S. military is unlikely to reduce forces in Iraq before next spring because the current contingent of more than 140,000 troops is battling sectarian violence that could prove "fatal" to the country if not arrested, the top American commander in the Middle East said yesterday.
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The general who oversees the Iraq   war said on Tuesday he did not expect any reductions in the   size of the U.S. force until at least the end of spring 2007,   as American troops try to prevent Iraq from falling into civil   war.
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Iraqi security forces should be in a position to take control of 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces by year's end, although they will not be ready to fight on their own for some time, a top U.S. general said on Sunday.
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Iraq has pulled back from the brink of civil war, but recent security gains are fragile and still reversible, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said on Saturday.
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Mr Allawi, speaking at a press conference in London, said Iraq must continue to &#39;stand firm&#39; in the face of challenges, including those posed by terrorists.
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Gen. David H. Petraeus said that by next summer the U.S. should be able to reduce its troop strength in Iraq to the level it was at before the recent increase.
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BAGHDAD -- General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, said yesterday that he would examine "some months" from now whether to seek an extension of the administration's troop increase, and that he had no plans to request additional forces.
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As President Bush and Gen. David Petraeus struggle to make the case that yet more time is needed for victory in Iraq, the goal for success no longer resembles the high hopes the architects of the 2003 invasion had in mind.
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Iraq's most feared terror leader called on his followers Thursday to show patience and prepare for a long struggle against the Americans, promising in an audiotape posted on the Internet that "ferocious wars ... take their time" but victory was assured.
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The next three to four months will be vital to determine if violence in Iraq can be cut further and security maintained with fewer American troops, the number two U.S. military commander in Iraq said on Tuesday.
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The top American general in Iraq said   on Wednesday he foresaw Iraq assuming control of its own   security within 12 to 18 months with "very little" support from   U.S.-led forces.
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Iraq will need foreign troops to help defend it for another 10 years, but will not accept U.S. bases indefinitely, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.