Gen. James T. Conway wants Marines to shift to Afghanistan

Top Marine wants to shift troops from Iraq to Afghanistan
Gen. James Conway says the insurgent threat in Iraq's Anbar province has decreased and the forces could better serve in violent regions of Afghanistan.
By Peter Spiegel and Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
August 28, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Marines in western Iraq's Anbar province no longer face a serious threat from insurgents and would be better used in increasingly violent regions of southern Afghanistan, the top Marine Corps officer said Wednesday.

Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine Corps commandant, said that gains made by two Marine units sent to Afghanistan's volatile southern provinces this year could be lost if the troops are not replaced in November, and suggested that a drawdown in Iraq would allow him to send fresh units to the region.

But a senior military official involved in Iraq troop level discussions said Petraeus has expressed increasing concern about withdrawals by U.S. allies. The unexpected departure of 2,000 Georgian troops, which came as Poland and Britain also announced significant drawdowns, have complicated plans for further U.S. withdrawals, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity when discussing internal Pentagon debates.

The official said Petraeus also is worried about the stability of a cease-fire called by the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia loyal to radical cleric Muqtada Sadr, who in recent weeks has been harshly critical of the Iraqi government's dealings with the U.S. over troop levels.
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