Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Military RhetIraq: Not Enough Troops to Win in West Iraq
Who: Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer
Source: USA Today
Quotes: From article titled, "General: Force too small to beat insurgency"
Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer told reporters in a telephone interview from his headquarters in Fallujah that he has enough U.S. troops — about 30,000 — to accomplish what he called his main mission: training Iraqi security forces.
“For what we are trying to achieve out here, I think our force levels are about right,” he said. “Now, if that mission statement changes — if there is seen a larger role for coalition forces out here to win that insurgency fight — then that is going to change the metrics of what we need out here.”
Pentagon officials arranged the interview with Zilmer in response to news reports about a classified report by Col. Pete Devlin, the chief of intelligence for the Marines in western Anbar province.
Zilmer did not dispute news reports that said Devlin depicted Anbar as locked in a military stalemate with inadequate political progress.
Zilmer dismissed a suggestion that the war in Anbar had been lost: “I think we are winning this war.”
Source: USA Today
Quotes: From article titled, "General: Force too small to beat insurgency"
Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer told reporters in a telephone interview from his headquarters in Fallujah that he has enough U.S. troops — about 30,000 — to accomplish what he called his main mission: training Iraqi security forces.
“For what we are trying to achieve out here, I think our force levels are about right,” he said. “Now, if that mission statement changes — if there is seen a larger role for coalition forces out here to win that insurgency fight — then that is going to change the metrics of what we need out here.”
Pentagon officials arranged the interview with Zilmer in response to news reports about a classified report by Col. Pete Devlin, the chief of intelligence for the Marines in western Anbar province.
Zilmer did not dispute news reports that said Devlin depicted Anbar as locked in a military stalemate with inadequate political progress.
Zilmer dismissed a suggestion that the war in Anbar had been lost: “I think we are winning this war.”
