Gates, U.S. General Back Long Iraq Stay
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and a senior U.S. commander said yesterday that they favor a protracted U.S. troop presence in Iraq along the lines of the military stabilization force in South Korea.
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Robert Gates, sworn in as U.S. defense secretary on Monday, said he understood the desire to bring troops home from Iraq but that failure would be a "calamity" that haunts and threatens America for decades.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday criticized security contractors in Iraq as Baghdad piled more pressure on the State Department to pull the Blackwater firm out of Iraq after deadly shootings last month.
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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that the mission of private security contractors guarding individuals in Iraq is fundamentally at odds with the broader U.S. military objective of stabilizing Iraq, and that changes would be required to reconcile them.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that the United States could start withdrawing troops from Iraq later this year -- "if circumstances on the ground permit."
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In his most optimistic remarks since the U.S. troop buildup began, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday that parts of Iraq have undergone a "sea change" in security in recent months, and this will influence his recommendation to President Bush on how long to continue the current strategy.
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Robert Gates, sworn in as U.S. defense secretary on Monday, said he understood the desire to bring troops home but that failure in Iraq would be a "calamity" that haunts and threatens America for decades.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday he backed a brief pause in U.S. troop cuts in Iraq once an initial pullout of five combat brigades has been completed in July.
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BAGHDAD, Feb. 11 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that it "probably does make sense" to "pause" troop withdrawals from Iraq late this summer, after the last of the forces sent in as part of an offensive surge have gone home.
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The United States is not planning for war with Iran but is determined to stop Iranians supplying bombs for deadly attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave the Iraqi government a gentle prod Tuesday to move faster toward political reconciliation during the American troop buildup in Baghdad.
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A majority of Americans approve of U.S. plans for limited troop withdrawals from Iraq but are not more optimistic about the war after testimony last week from a top U.S. general, a new poll found on Tuesday.
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Stabilizing Iraq will be a lengthy process that won't end when violence in that country  -  and U.S. troop strength  -  are reduced, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said
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Defense Secretary Robert Gates hinted Tuesday at American impatience with the pace of Iraqi political reconciliation, more than four months into the U.S. troop buildup.
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The United States is not planning for a war with Iran but is determined to stop Iranians supplying bombs for deadly attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.
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The former U.S. administrator in Iraq on Tuesday defended American actions there &#151; a day after faulting troop strength following the ouster of Saddam Hussein.
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U.S. and Iraqi commanders said on Saturday there had been a remarkable improvement in the country's security over the past year, but the top American general also warned that the gains could be reversed.