Washington – The general who will carry out President Bush’s plan for Iraq cautioned on Tuesday against expecting quick results and used bleak terms to describe a country engulfed in war for nearly four years. Yet, he said the strategy can work as long as the Iraqis do their part.
Facing a skeptical Congress and an American public that has turned starkly against the war, Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus promised lawmakers that as top U.S. commander in Iraq, he would speak up if he determines the new approach is failing. Bush is adding 21,500 U.S. troops to secure Baghdad and Anbar province.
Petraeus’ comments came on the same day a U.S. security-company helicopter crashed – possibly shot down – as it flew over a dangerous Sunni neighborhood in central Baghdad. A U.S. official said five American civilians on board were killed.
“The situation in Iraq is dire,” Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is expected to easily approve his nomination for the Iraq command. “The stakes are high. There are no easy choices. The way ahead will be very hard. … But hard is not hopeless.”
If confirmed, Petraeus will implement Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq. At Tuesday’s hearing, he told the lawmakers that no amount of U.S. effort will succeed unless Iraqis learn to compromise.
“Ultimately, the outcome will be determined by the Iraqis,” Petraeus said.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a leading proponent of Bush’s plan, asked Petraeus how long he thought the U.S. buildup could be sustained.
“I am keenly aware of the strain” on the Army and Marine Corps, Petraeus said, adding that he welcomes Bush’s proposal to increase the size of the land forces.
Petraeus said the U.S. military needs new, “greatly increased” contributions from other federal agencies to stabilize a country torn by political divisions and hobbled by a weak economy, a battered infrastructure and corrupt police.
In Baghdad, a senior Iraqi military official said the U.S. helicopter, owned by Blackwater USA, was shot down, but an American official in Washington said there was no evidence of that.
A second U.S. official, in Baghdad, said the five killed were Americans. All the officials demanded anonymity because the details had not been made public.
Witnesses in the Fadhil neighborhood reported seeing the helicopter go down after gunmen on the ground opened fire and were believed to have shot the pilot or co-pilot or both.
The helicopter was believed to have been flying escort above a VIP convoy on the ground as it headed away from the fortified Green Zone to an undisclosed destination.
A spokeswoman for Blackwater USA, based in northeastern North Carolina, declined to comment Tuesday.
“We really don’t have any information for you yet,” said spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell. The company provides security for State Department officials in Iraq, trains military units from around the world, and works for corporate clients.
