Washington – Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, depicted the situation there as “exceedingly complex and very tough” today and said the U.S. effort might become more difficult before it gets easier.
The four-star general called the war there “the most complex and challenging I have ever seen.” He said there have been some improvements in the two months since President Bush’s troop buildup began, but “there is vastly more work to be done across the board. … We are just getting started with the new effort.” Petraeus spoke as the Senate debated House-passed legislation to begin withdrawing U.S. troops in October.
Asked about the impact on the effort in Iraq if that legislation passed, Petraeus said, “I have tried to stay clear of the political minefields of various legislative proposals.” Bush has said he will veto the bill.
“This effort may get harder before it gets easier,” Petraeus told a briefing for reporters at the Pentagon.
The general also said, however, that improvements can be seen both in the capital of Baghdad and the volatile Anbar Province in Western Iraq. Still, he said, these achievements “have not come without sacrifice.” He said that the increasing use of car bombs and suicide attacks, plus the greater concentration of U.S. troops among the population, has “led to greater U.S. losses” as well as increased Iraqi military casualties.
Petraeus sidestepped a direct question on how long U.S. troops would have to remain in Iraq.
“I wouldn’t try to truly anticipate what level might be some years down the road,” he said.
Still, Petraeus noted, it was “an endeavor that clearly is going to require an enormous commitment over time.”
