FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Iraq's top army general says his troops won't be fully trained and able to take control of security until 2020.... another 10 years from now.
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The warning comes as the U.S. says it's on target to end its combat mission and pull thousands of troops out of Iraq by the end of this month.
The White House says it's pulled out 80,000 troops from Iraq since President Obama took office... and that thousands more will leave at the end of August.
The U.S. plans to keep about 50,000 troops in Iraq - for support and training - but they, too, will leave by the end of next year.
But Iraq's military brass don't think this is such a great plan. And Iraq's top army general may have a point. Iraq's political leaders still haven't been able to form a new government 5 months after holding elections.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jim Jones said despite this assessment by Iraq's army, there will be no significant U.S. troop presence after next year... and that, "the mission is on the way to being accomplished" in Iraq.
The U.S. better hope so... now that it's focusing a lot of money and military resources on the war in Afghanistan, where insurgent attacks are at record levels.
It doesn't look like Afghanistan will be in any shape to see U.S. troops leave as soon as next summer, which is what President Obama wants.
Here’s my question to you: Iraq's army says it won't be ready to take control until 2020. Should U.S. forces still leave next year?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Don in Ontario writes:
Iraq will turn into a volatile mess whenever America pulls out, be it 2010 or 2020. Ditto with Afghanistan. The American military advisers to the successive U.S. presidents either have no understanding of foreign cultures, or they and the C.I.A. provoke wars to keep the armaments and security industries busy. These two particular wars have cost an unprecedented amount of money. It appears that the terrorists have bankrupted America.
Don writes:
Yes, they should leave as soon as possible. If the Iraqi army can't defend the country by now, they won't be able to in 2020 or even 2050. Why is it that these guys can easily fight U.S. troops without equipment, body armor or sophisticated air support, but can't do anything when it comes to fighting their own home grown insurgency? It's not a case of needing more time to train and prepare, it's a case of lacking the motivation to take care of themselves.
Darryl writes:
Yes. If you keep feeding a dog, it won't learn to hunt. It's time we get out of a place we had no reason to be in the first place.
Tim in Texas writes:
Let's see, we've been there for seven years fighting a war that we had no business getting into in the first place, combat troops do no good whatsoever in setting up a government, we've probably lost in Afghanistan where we needed to win because we went into Iraq, and the whole thing cost us gobs of money. Let's stay another ten years just for the heck of it. I also like to chew on ground-up glass.
JoAnn in Iowa writes:
You know, if the Iraqis say they'll be ready to take control of the war in 2020, when it gets to be 2019 they'll ask for a few more years and then a few more years. No. We've been there long enough. Leave on our schedule. They had enough time to plan for this. We have spent enough and shed enough blood.
Gary in Arizona writes:
Should U.S. forces leave Iraq next year? ABSOLUTELY NOT. They should leave Friday.