By NNN-KUNA,
Washington : US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said that Iraq has entered an “endgame” after violence dropped around 80 per cent clearing the way for further cut down of US troops in Iraq.
“I believe we have now entered that endgame and our decisions today and in the months ahead will be critical to regional stability and our national security interests for years to come,” said Gates before the Senate Armed Service Committee during a hearing on Iraq and Afghanistan Tuesday.
Gates noted how much US and Iraqi casualties have been reduced and highlighted the handover of the Anbar province to Iraqi authorities, becoming the 11th out of 18th provinces under Iraqi control now.
The Defence Secretary cited “incremental but significant” progress made by the Iraqi government and how the engagement of Arab neighbours with the Iraqi government is stabilizing the country.
But he added that the new challenge before the Iraqi parliament is to pass the electoral law to avoid any delay of elections beyond next December that could possibly increase violence.
“Our military commanders do not yet believe our gains are necessarily enduring, and they believe that there are still many challenges and the potential for reversals in the future,” said Gates while describing the situation in Iraq as fragile but improving since early 2007.
“When I entered office, the main concern was to halt and reverse the spiralling violence in order to prevent a strategic calamity for the United States and allow the Iraqis to make progress on the political, economic and security fronts,” he said.
“Although we all have criticisms of the Iraqi government, there can be no doubt that the situation is much different and far better than it was in early 2007,” added Gates.
The Defence Secretary praised the “brilliant performance” of the outgoing commander of multinational forces in Iraq General David Petraeus during his tenure of 20 months, mainly the surge of US troops.