Washington turning to Vietnam exit strategy in Iraq
Fri Nov 7,12:30 PM ET Add Politics - AFP to My Yahoo!
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Moving to pull US troops from Iraq (news - web
sites) amid intensifying attacks, replacing them with a hurriedly
trained Iraqi force, Washington is accused of seeking an exit strategy
similar to the Vietnam war.
The move to "Iraqify" military and police forces is reminiscent of the
option taken by Washington over the so-called Vietnamization that came
before south Vietnam collapsed before northern forces in 1975,
observers and politicians say.
Former president Richard Nixon chose to "Vietnamify" -- progressively
putting heavier military responsibility on the south Vietnamese so as
to disengage the United States, which lost 58,000 soldiers in the
tortuous war.
Though the Iraqi conflict is quite different and US casualties nowhere
near the levels een in Vietnam, the analogy is being seen
increasingly, after Washington said it may cut US troops from 132,000
to 105,000 by next spring.
Parallely, the United States is aiming to take the number of Iraqi
security forces -- army, police and border guards -- from 118,000 men
to 170,000 by early 2004.
Concerns have been raised over the policy, with claims the US
administration is more interested in improving public opinion ahead of
the November 2004 elections -- in which Bush will seek a second term
-- than in Iraq's stability.
"Frustrated by the lack of quick progress on the ground and fading
political support at home, Washington is now latching on the idea that
a quick transfer of power to local troops and politicians would make
things better," states columnist Fareed Zakaria.
"Or at any rate, it would lower American casualties. It was called
Vietnamization; today it's called Iraqification," Zakaria wrote in a
column in The Washington Post and Newsweek.
While political commentator Thomas Friedman said there was "no
question this is necessary," he added: "But it's not sufficient".
"We could have 100,000 Iraqis in the police and army and it would not
be enough without one other person. We need an Iraqi leader (or a
leadership council) elected as a result of an Iraqi constitutional or
political process," wrote Friedman in The New York Times.
Republican Senator John McCain, a former pilot and Vietnam war veteran
has added his voice to the debate, saying US forces in Iraq must be
increased not reduced in number.
"When our Secretary of Defense says that it is up to the Iraqi people
to defeat Baathists and terrorists, we send a message that America's
exit from Iraq is ultimately more important than the achievement of
American goals in Iraq," McCain said Wednesday.
"To win in Iraq, we should increase the number of forces in-country,
including Marines and Special Forces, to conduct offensive
operations," said McCain underlining his belief that at least one more
full division should be added to US troops there.
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, seeking to reassure Thursday,
said cutting troops would not be done to the detriment of military
objectives and that Washington aims to stabilize the country it has
its sights on transforming into a democratic model for the Middle
East.
"We're bringing in forces that are appropriate to deal with the
evolving threats in Iraq today, including more mobile infantry
elements," said Rumsfeld.
"So while the number of US forces may be level or decline slightly,
this much is certain: The overall capability of the security forces in
Iraq will increase," said the Pentagon (news - web sites) chief,
stipulating that "numbers do not necessarily equate with capability".
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