The United States on Tuesday said that decision to commit troops for stabilization force in Iraq would be of individual nations and though the situation in this country was "complex and challenging", Washington had the military might to overcome it.
While on a visit in India, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff General Richard B Myers said that the US was committed to bringing stability to Iraq and not to allow "terrorists" bases to grow there, PTI reported.
Discounting reports that his visit in Delhi was arranged at short notice to encourage India to join in stabilization process in Iraq, Myers told a news conference in Delhi that though situation in Iraq had cropped up during his talks with military leaders in Delhi, his India tour was not linked to asking India to deploy troops in Iraq.
"My schedule here was worked out three months back and aimed at boosting military to military ties between the two countries" Myers said.
The top US soldier dismissed intense media speculation in Delhi that his visit was to press India to send troops to Iraq.
"India's refusal to send troops does not bother us. The US is a good friend of India. I am grateful for India cooperation in war against international terrorism." Myers conveyed.
Myers disclosed that 19 countries now formed the stabilization force in Iraq with 15 more nations promising troop contribution. He said besides these, more nations had chipped in with medical and developmental help.
Asserting that the situation in north and south Iraq was stable, the US military Chief said stabilization forces were facing problems in central Iraq between Tikrit and Baghdad which he described still as a "war zone."
Referring to attacks on US forces, Myers said, "Eighty percent of the security incidents were happening in central Iraq. It is still fair to say that it's still a war zone. It is still very challenging and very hard environment."
Myers said that US Army believed that most of the resistance was coming from remnants of Saddam Hussein's Baath party Saddam fidayeen. He also said foreign fighters were involved, PTI quoted him as saying.
But he said the US was receiving intelligence inputs which would help in overcoming these forces soon." It was the local people who had tipped US about Saddam's sons’ location. It is the local people who are leading US to large arms dumps." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
