Panetta Stands By Iraqi Drawdown

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Tuesday stood by plans to remove nearly all combat troops from Iraq in the coming months, clashing with lawmakers frustrated by the decision to abandon plans to maintain a small U.S. security force.

During a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) charged that the Obama administration failed to fight hard enough during negotiations with the Iraqi government to secure immunity for combat troops left behind, a provision that the White House says was a vital to any prolonged presence.

“This administration was committed to the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and they made it happen,” McCain, the highest-ranking Republican on the panel, claimed.

In a heated exchange, Panetta noted that Iraq was sovereign nation and that the decision to deny immunity was ultimately their decision to make.

“This is not about us telling them what we’re going to do for them,” Panetta said. “This is about their country making the decision as to what is necessary.”

Panetta acknowledged that a full drawdown fell short of what many in the American government had been hoping for. However, Panetta said, there were no other alternatives in the absence of immunity.

Although removing nearly all combat troops, the State Department will maintain approximately 16,000 contractors in the country to assume the duties currently carried out by the U.S. military, including training Iraqi security forces. A small number of troops will remain in the country under the aegis of the American embassy.

The drawdown is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, but the rate of the withdrawal has been withheld by the military for security purposes.