Sessions Responds to Testimony of General Petraeus

Press Release

Sessions Responds to Testimony of General Petraeus

Praises Progress of Surge in Iraq, Cites Continued Challenges Ahead

U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) today responded to the congressional testimony this week of General David Petraeus, the U.S. Commander in Iraq, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq , before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and Foreign Affairs/Relations Committees:

"This week, Congress and the American people have once again received an accurate and authoritative assessment of the security, political, and economic situation in Iraq . Thanks to the exemplary, experienced leadership of General Petraeus, Ambassador Crocker, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and the men and women in our Armed Forces, the surge has produced profound and undeniable progress:

* Civilian and coalition deaths have dropped by more than 70 percent.
* Nationwide attacks have declined by more than 60 percent.
* Ethno-sectarian deaths are down by nearly 90 percent.
* Terrorist attacks in Anbar Province , a former Al-Qaeda battleground, are down 90 percent.
* Iraq Security Forces have increased to 540,000 Iraqis, including 171 trained battalions.

Increased security has enabled political progress with the Iraqi Parliament meeting 12 out of the original 18 benchmarks and making substantial progress toward attaining five more benchmarks. As Ambassador Crocker testified this week, "the era of U.S. funded major infrastructure projects is over," and Iraqis will spend nearly $13 billion for reconstruction and $8 billion on their own security.

However, General Petraeus has diligently reminded us that these gains are reversible, and immediate troop withdrawals would undermine the progress in Iraq and the sacrifice of our troops. While degraded and retreating, Al-Qaeda in Iraq is still looking to exploit any vulnerability in an attempt to regain its foothold, terrorize the nation, and destabilize the region.

As a result, I continue to support General Petraeus' responsible plan for gradual troop withdrawals to pre-surge levels, and I believe that his post-surge 45-day consolidation and evaluation plan will be critical to the United States' goal of drawing down troop levels and operations as Iraqi security and political stability increases.

Until then, Congress has the responsibility to provide our troops with the resources necessary to complete their mission. Earlier this year, President Bush submitted an emergency spending request for our troops fighting the War on Terror, and House Democrats have failed to act. My Republican colleagues and I stand ready to support a clean military emergency spending bill, and I call on House Democrats to place policy over politics, the security of our troops over personal agendas, and bring the troop funding bill to the floor immediately.

I once again thank General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker for their service to our nation, and I applaud the bravery, commitment, and excellence of the men and women in uniform who have made freedom and progress in Iraq possible. May they know the support of a grateful nation."

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