NBC Baghdad Blog: U.S. troops will still be here in three years

[sabra]

http://onthescene.msnbc.com/baghdad/2005/12/us_troops_are_s.html



U.S. troops will still be here in three years

Posted by Richard Engel, NBC News Correspondent (10:45 am ET, 12/29/05)


A senior U.S. military commander, familiar with strategic plans, told me today there are two possible longish-term scenarios for Iraq, which I am conveniently listing below.

Optimistic scenario:
In three years, the U.S. will be down to 20,000 troops. Their main mission will be to provide Iraqi forces with training, intelligence, logistics support, close air support, and lift.

The forces would mainly be stationed at four "enduring bases," which the commander said would likely be: Talil, Taji, Balad and one of the bases around the Baghdad Airport.

Pessimistic scenario:
In three years, the U.S. will be down to 75,000 troops. They would still be positioned in north, south and central Iraq and actively engaged in combat missions.

The commanders said which way we go depends to a large degree on the composition, policies and performance of the next Iraqi government.

[wakeme2008]

1. And then the Real Life one

100,000+ in three years protecting oil and other "things"

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

2. 4 "enduring bases"? I thought they were building 14? One of the

biggest kept secrets that the press likes to hide from us.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/224055_iraqbases.html

[papau]

3. We can not put more tham 90 to 100k in the field after next Oct - so all

the planning and If the Iraq situations is better talk is bull shit.

We will be at 100,000 or less in a year, simply because that is the max we can put in the Iraq field without a draft, or totally destroying the reserve and Guard (which are now half of the troops over there).

[Hobarticus]

4. Optimistic=Vietnam in reverse, pessimistic=perpetual quagmire...

Oh joy.

[cantstandbush]

5. And they will still be being killed and still killing innocents. n/t

[FloridaPat]

6. We were only in Vietnam to train their troops. Sure.

[FloridaPat]

7. 54% of the Gulf War I vets are on disability and 50,000 more

have requested disability. That's around 200,000. When our troops start getting Gulf War Lies I syndrome, where are they going to get the replacements?

[annabanana]

8. not even..... we were just "advisors" at the beginning. . . . .n/t