Are there any plans to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq in the immediate future?
GENERAL PACE: Not immediately, but that depends on how you define the immediate future. I think that over the next two-four-six months you will see the Coalition presence staying at about current levels. We’re working in concert with Prime Minister Malaki and his leadership team, to determine when and how fast the Iraqi armed forces and the Iraqi police can take over their own security, so that we can do what we would like to do – which is to let the Iraqi people, the Iraqi Government and the Iraqi security forces take care of themselves and determine their own future. INTERVIEWER: Do you think that, in principle, the U.S. Army is capable of winning the fight against terrorism in Iraq because a lot of Iraqis view the terrorists as guerrillas – as partisans? Maybe it’s the time to reevaluate the strategy? GENERAL PACE: First, you must understand that any time you are dealing with counterinsurgency you are dealing only partly with military force. There are three very important parts – fi
