ASHINGTON, DC—Almost a year after the cessation of major combat and a
month after the nation's first free democratic elections, President Bush
unveiled the coalition forces' strategy for exiting Iraq.
Bush announces the pullout of Iraq through Iran.
"I'm pleased to announce that the Department of Defense and I have
formulated a plan for a speedy withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq," Bush
announced Monday morning. "We'll just go through Iran."
Bush said the U.S. Army, which deposed Iran's longtime enemy Saddam
Hussein, should be welcomed with open arms by the Islamic-fundamentalist
state.
"And Iran's so nearby," Bush said. "It's only a hop, skip, and a jump to
the east."
According to White House officials, coalition air units will leave forward
air bases in Iraq and transport munitions to undisclosed locations in
Iran. After 72 to 96 hours of aerial-bomb retreats, armored-cavalry units
will retreat across the Zagros mountains in tanks, armored personnel
carriers, and strike helicopters. The balance of the 120,000 troops will
exit into the oil-rich borderlands around the Shatt-al-Arab region within
30 days.
Pentagon sources said U.S. Central Command has been formulating the exit
plan under guidelines set by Bush.
Bush Announces Iraq Exit Strategy: 'We'll Go Through Iran'
"The fact is, we've accomplished our goals in Iraq," said General George
Casey, the commander of coalition forces in the Iraqi theater. "Now, it's
time to bring our men and women home—via Iran."
Questions have been raised about the unprecedented size of the withdrawal
budget.
"I'm asking Congress to approve a $187-billion budget to enable us to exit
as smoothly as possible," said Casey, whose budget request includes
several hundred additional M1A1 Abrams battle tanks, 72 new C-130 cargo
planes, and two brigades of artillery. "We're concerned about the safety
of our troops, so we need to have the capacity to deal with insurgent
forces all the way from the Iraqi border through to Tehran."
Casey has requested a budget increase for the Pentagon, so that the
government can reward recruits who serve in the U.S. mission to exit Iraq.
Some of the Iranian citizens U.S. troops will meet as they pass through
Iran.
"The plan also includes a minor stopover for refueling and provisional
replenishment in Syria," Casey said. "But I don't expect we'll need more
than 50,000 additional troops for that stretch of the Iraq pullout."
Bush's plan has met with widespread support.
"The people who said Iraq was a quagmire and that the president would
never get our troops out are now eating crow," said Sean Hannity on his
popular radio show Tuesday. "Of course, I don't expect anyone will have
the honor to come forward and actually admit that they were wrong to
question our commander-in-chief."
Sioux Falls, SD's Dianne Haverbuck, who has two sons in the military, said
she was pleased to hear of the impending exit.
"Don and Kenneth have already been in Iraq an extra four months, so it's
so good to hear that they'll finally be leaving that dangerous place,"
Haverbuck said. "I can't tell you how happy I was when the president
said—what was it? I wrote it down. 'Getting our troops out of the Middle
East and back home to their families is a viable long-term goal.'"
"I can't wait to see the boys," Haverbuck added.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei welcomed the exit
plan.
"Let the Allied armies come to Iran," Khamenei said. "I believe I can
assure you that, if they do withdraw here, their brothers-in-arms in the
Islamic Republican Army, the Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Quds special
forces units, and the Basij Popular Mobilization Army will no doubt do
everything they can to make the troops' trip back home memorable."