WASHINGTON — The top U.S. commander in Iraq said Monday that the planned withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces by the end of August could be delayed if conditions worsen in the coming months as Iraqis choose a new government.
Army Gen. Ray Odierno said his staff had drawn up contingency plans for a delayed withdrawal that he has shared with Pentagon leaders and other U.S. officials during a visit to Washington over the past week.
Shortly after taking office last year, President Barack Obama pledged to pull out all U.S. combat forces from Iraq by the end of August. Under that plan, about 50,000 troops will remain in the country until the end of 2011 to train Iraqi forces, perform counterterrorism operations and help with civilian projects.
Odierno said U.S. commanders have already reduced their presence in Iraq to about 96,000 military personnel — the first time since the 2003 invasion that fewer than 100,000 U.S. forces have been in the country.
At a news conference at the Pentagon, Odierno said he still expected to carry out the original plan articulated by the White House but wanted to be prepared if Iraq experiences instability in the aftermath of national elections scheduled for March 7.
The country has seen an increase in pre-election violence. On Monday, assailants killed eight members of a Shiite family in a village outside Baghdad, shooting some and beheading others, just one of a series of pre-election shootings and car bombings that swept the country, killing 22 people in all.
The Associated Press and McClatchy Newspapers contributed to this report.
