US troops to remain in Iraq for years, says General Sanchez

[greatauntoftriplets]

Force reduction in Iraq `years' off
But general says coalition winning

By James O'Shea
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 5, 2003

BAGHDAD -- The U.S. Army general who heads coalition forces in Iraq says it will be years before the United States is able to "draw down" its forces here, and he warned Americans to brace for more casualties, including a "significant engagement where tens of American soldiers or coalition soldiers" are killed.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Chicago Tribune, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez gave a frank assessment of the military situation in Iraq. He said the coalition forces are winning the war here despite the daily drumbeat of news reports that suggest the military is encountering more trouble than its commanders had anticipated.

He said he is "very comfortable" with the current force structure and size, which consists of 140,000 soldiers, all but a few thousand of whom are American, and he said for the first time publicly that the coalition force level won't be reduced anytime soon.

"I see us being here awhile yet," said Sanchez, a tank officer who took command of the coalition forces in June. "The political processes have to take their natural course until we have a representative government in place, and that's going to take some time. And even after that occurs, given the pace at which the Iraqi army . . . standing up, it's going to be awhile after that because the . . . army being formed . . . will not be sufficient for the defense of the country.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0310050417oct05,1,5518720.story?coll=chi-news-hed