Another troop surge in Iraq 'pretty remote,' general says

The top U.S. military commander in Iraq Wednesday assured lawmakers that he does not expect to request another surge in troop strength after the current drawdown brings the U.S. military presence there to about 140,000 troops in July.

During the third of four scheduled hearings this week, Army Gen. David Petraeus told the House Armed Services Committee that another boost to forces "would be a pretty remote thought in my mind" after the last of the troops deployed for last year's surge leave Iraq this summer.

Petraeus said he would be able to reposition U.S. forces in Iraq to respond to any hot spots in the country.

Meanwhile, Iraqi forces are becoming increasingly capable of taking on responsibility for securing their country, he said. But Petraeus gave Iraq's security forces a grade of "B-minus," saying that their capabilities are a "very, very mixed bag across the board." The country's nascent special forces units are "exceedingly good," but the Iraqi military still needs to work on other areas, including logistics and planning, he added.

As he did before two Senate panels on Tuesday, Petraeus declined to give any projections for reducing forces in Iraq after this summer, arguing that any decision to withdraw troops must reflect the evolving situation on the ground. Petraeus has said he wants to have a 45-day period of "consolidation and evaluation" beginning in July, followed by an indefinite assessment period during which he will weigh any further cuts to deployed troop strength.

"It makes sense to have some time to let the dust settle" after the last of the troops deployed for the surge leave Iraq, Petraeus said. But he acknowledged he is reviewing four or five locations in Iraq that would be likely candidates for areas where he could reduce the U.S. troop presence.

Echoing concerns raised by their counterparts in the Senate, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., and other Democrats on the panel expressed impatience with Petraeus' inability to forecast troop reductions.

"If our witnesses want to argue for keeping large numbers of forces in Iraq, I hope you can also explain the next strategy," Skelton said in his opening statement.

"The counterinsurgency strategy worked tactically, but the surge forces are going home," Skelton said. "Political reconciliation hasn't happened, and violence has leveled off and may be creeping back up."

Petraeus warned of the consequences of withdrawing troops too quickly from Iraq, arguing that doing so would have adverse "ripple effects" on security within the United States.