Sessions Comments on Iraq Testimony by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocke

Statement

Sessions Comments on Iraq Testimony by General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker

Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker testified today before the Senate Committee on the Armed Services regarding the status of ongoing operations in Iraq.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), a senior member of the Armed Services committee, made the following comments after the hearing:

"Our men and women in uniform continue to carry out their important mission overseas with courage, patriotism, and dedication. Gen. Petraeus has proven to be a brilliant leader, and under his guidance, our military has excelled under tough conditions. He has turned around a very difficult situation, and our success since the surge began is encouraging. We have seen a significant drop in the number of violent attacks, civilian deaths, and American causalities. American and Iraqi forces have restored stability and security to areas that were devastated by violence only a year ago. In particular, Al Qaeda has suffered severe blows. We are clearly making progress in Iraq, but as General Petraeus has said, that progress "is fragile."

"Our mission in Iraq is not indefinite and serious challenges remain. Iraqi forces must continue to step up their role in security operations, as they did in recent operations in Basra. Although we have seen some signs of political progress, it has moved too slowly. A continued dependence on American forces and equipment is not good and only makes a transfer of authority more difficult. These and other issues must be addressed.

"It is would be unthinkable to recklessly pull out our troops just as we are consolidating the gains of the last year. We would like to bring home our troops as quickly as possible, but leaving before establishing a stable and secure Iraq would undermine America's security and diminish the great achievements that have been made. General Petraeus repeated again that he strongly believes that success is realistically achievable.

"I had the honor of speaking this morning at a rally organized by the Vets for Freedom. In the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, several hundred young Iraq war veterans met to demonstrate their belief that the fight in Iraq is winnable and America's goal should be victory. I could not agree more. Congress must continue to support our men and women overseas, who are serving in Iraq for one reason: a large majority of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives voted to send them there. Our troops deserve the best tools, resources and support from Congress as they continue to fight Al Qaeda and restore stability to the region."

"There is a great tension between my strong desire and that of all Americans to continue a steady slow down of forces and the need to do so in a way that does not ignore the conditions on the ground. The surge forces will be removed by this summer. Based on the success we have had so far and the respect I have for General Petraeus, I will support a pause in withdrawal."

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