US withdrawal from Iraq 'on track' despite violence: Mullen

[babsbunny]

http://rawstory.com/news/afp/US_withdrawal_from_Iraq_on_track_de_05242009.html

Published: Sunday May 24, 2009


The withdrawal of US combat forces from Iraqi cities by the end of June remains "very much on track" despite a spike in violence there, the top US military officer said Sunday.

Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said US force levels in Iraq would drop to between 35,000 and 50,000 troops by August of 2010.

"We've had an uptick in violence, but the overall violence levels are at the 2003 levels. It's still fragile," Mullen said.