Odierno: Iraqi security forces ready to take over when U.S. leaves

Gen. Ray Odierno, the U.S. commander in Iraq, said Sunday that Iraq’s security forces will be ready for a full withdrawal of U.S. troops, which is scheduled for the end of next year.

“My assessment today is … they will be [ready for that timetable],” Odierno told Candy Crowley on CNN’s “State of the Union.” 

Odierno conceded there’s a still more to do to ensure a smooth transition, but Iraq’s forces “continue to grow.” 

“We continue to see development,” he said. 

The comments arrive just days after the White House withdrew the last 4,000 combat troops from Iraq.

About 50,000 U.S. troops have stayed behind to advise and train Iraqi forces, but President Obama has said he wants to begin withdrawing those troops next summer, with the goal of having all of them out by 2012.

A number of military experts, however, have questioned that timeline, arguing Iraq’s forces simply won’t be able to keep the country stabilized on their own that soon. And failure, critics say, could carry the too-high price of having Iran expand its influence in the region.

But Odierno told CNN the 2012 timetable is realistic.

“The Iraqi people are resilient,” he said. “They want this. They want to have a democratic country. They want to be on their own. They want to move forward and be a contributor to stability in the Middle East.”

Still, Odierno was quick to note there would probably be some form of U.S. presence in Iraq well after 2011 — much as the U.S. advises any number of Middle East countries on technical and other matters. “It depends on what kind of presence you’re talking about,” he said.

Asked about the capability of the remaining troops to engage insurgents, Odierno said that, although “the units organized to conduct combat operations have left,” those left behind are perfectly capable of fighting “if it was required.”

Also appearing on CNN, retired Gen. Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed Odierno’s claims that Iraqi forces will be ready to take over in 2012. 

“There’s never a perfect timetable to leave a situation like this,” Myers told Crowley. “But we’re six years down the road … At some point, the Iraqis have to be responsible for their own situation.”

Others weren’t so sure. Retired Adm. William Fallon, former head of the U.S. Central Command, said that, while the Iraqi forces are ready to police themselves, “they are not ready for external security.”