‘Iraq quagmire real threat to US’

The US is not capable of protecting itself from the threats to its security as far as it is entangled in Iraq, Democratic lawmakers say.

Democrats criticized the Bush administration’s war policy during the second day of testimony to Congress by Gen. David Petraeus, US commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker on Wednesday.

Democratic senators, as well as some Republicans, also expressed frustration that an end to the Iraq deployment did not appear to be in sight.

“We and the American people must ask: Why should we stay in Iraq in large numbers?” asked Rep. Ike Skelton, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

Democrats also told Gen. Petraeus and Ryan Crocker that President George W. Bush has failed to focus on the bigger threat of al-Qaeda from the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Petraeus, however, said al Qaeda leaders “still view Iraq as the central front in their global strategy, (and) send funding, direction and foreign fighters to Iraq.”

He said relentless pressure must be maintained to keep al-Qaeda from regrouping in Iraq.

Meanwhile, President George W. Bush met on Wednesday with members of Congress from both parties to discuss Iraq and was to make a speech on the situation there on Thursday morning.

The US has 160,000 troops in Iraq after boosting the force last year. The Pentagon has begun to pull about 20,000 of those extra combat troops out. Once that pullout is finished in July, the US force in Iraq will stand at 140,000.

MHE/RE

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