Withdrawal Plan for Iraq

The U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill, informed Congress that it is still on track to remove combat troops in Iraq by next August despite all of the new attacks. But lawmakers are concerned that even though violence has decreased, Iraqi troops aren't ready to take control of the country and maintain security with little or no help at all from the U.S. Hill believes that the recent bombings in Iraq has demonstrated that the Iraqis have moved past fighting a civil war. He is confident that the Iraqi government is able to stand on its own even though it is still necessary to deal with al-Qaida. He also believes that Iraqi forces have progressed over time and that now they are respected from ordinary Iraqis because they are committed to their job when they provide security for them. In July, Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke about the possibility of bringing home some 5,000 troops early from Iraq if violence continues to decrease despite this year's upcoming Iraqi national elections. While Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby believes that only time will tell when Americans should be withdrawn completely from Iraq. Meanwhile, the American commander in Iraq told reporters at the Pentagon, that it is too soon to tell whether troops will be withdrawn by next year. Republican Senator of Indiana addressed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee saying that while the president and vice president continue to talk about withdrawing troops by next year, they "don't have a clear understanding of how that withdrawal will occur." But despite everything, Hill remains confident that America is prepared to withdraw all of its combat troops by next August and that the U.S. is working on developing a relationship with Iraq. Time is the only factor that will determine when it's appropriate to remove all troops stationed in Iraq and it's important to make this one of the main issues in the country because American troops have been in Iraq for a really long time.