Iraq: Election Delay Could Postpone U.S. Withdrawal

The Marine Corps Times reported October 29 that the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq could be delayed if national elections scheduled for January 2010 are not held on time.

The Times says, "Military commanders have said they want to keep the 117,000 soldiers now in Iraq in place for about two months after the scheduled Jan. 16 elections to ensure security during the government transition. But with a political deadlock in Baghdad over how to register voters in the northern oil-rich Kirkuk province, the balloting could be delayed."

If national elections are delayed and larger than expected troop numbers are kept in Iraq, it could be difficult for the United States to muster the troops recently requested for Afghanistan by General Stanley McChrystal.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell is quoted as saying, "That’s why we are hanging on to as large a force as we are in Iraq. Obviously, we’ll make judgments and assessments based upon how far it’s delayed and whether or not we need to retain this certain force level for longer." 

U.S. military forces are currently scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. That date was part of an agreement signed between the Iraqi government of Nouri al-Maliki and the administration of former President George W. Bush.

Referring to a recent uptick in violence in Iraq, The Times says, "But Sunday’s bombings at government ministries in Baghdad that killed 155 people underscore the security threats and vulnerability in a nation where some U.S. officials have declared the war is all but over. Morrell said the 'horrific and deplorable' suicide bombing attacks have not 'caused anybody to reevaluate or reassess or reconsider the drawdown plan, nor has it prompted the Iraqis, for that matter, to ask for our forces to come back in to Baghdad to assist in the aftermath of this attack.'"

The Times adds: "Tensions between Arabs and Kurds — a struggle at the heart of the Kirkuk voter registration dispute — in part illustrates that Iraq 'is years away from achieving lasting security and stability,' warned Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 'The recent bombings in Iraq have shown that the Iraq war is scarcely over,' Cordesman wrote in a report released Thursday. 'It is far too early to say that Iraq can achieve lasting security and stability, maintain a pluralistic form of government, or avoid becoming caught up in another violent round of internal or regional power struggles.'"

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/10/ap_iraq_pullout_delay_102909/