Menendez: U.S. troop surge has pushed al Qaeda northward

Fresh from his first trip to Iraq, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said Tuesday that the U.S. troop surge has pushed al Qaeda northward, leading to instability in cities like Mosul.

Menendez, a sharp critic of the war, said he was not allowed to travel to Mosul because of the “displacement” of the terrorist group from Baghdad into that northern region. The senator said the trip reinforced his impression that the recent decrease in violence has not led to a strong enough effort among Iraqi leaders to bridge vast political differences.

{mosads}Democrats argue that withdrawing troops from Iraq would prod the country’s leaders to resolve the political stalemate; Republicans say bringing troops home would further destabilize the country.

“I didn’t get the sense of urgency among the Iraqis that I think is necessary,” Menendez told reporters on a conference call.

After a meeting at U.S. Central Command in Kuwait, Menendez said he was told that withdrawing troops from Iraq could cost an additional $20 billion.

During his weekend trip, Menendez said he met with Gen. David Petraeus, the top military officer in the country, but that Petraeus gave no indication as to when he planned to further reduce the number of troops.

Despite speculation that the Bush administration might be preparing to take Petraeus out of his current role, Menendez said he got the impression that the general “was going to be there for a while.”