Pentagon having second thoughts on Obama's timeline for withdrawal from Iraq - 10th Apr 2011

Barack Obama has sworn that all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year.

But the Pentagon, it seems, is having second thoughts.

Officials fear a final pull-out in December could create a security vacuum - but they are reluctant to admit it publicly.

Such a vacuum would allow foes like Al Qaeda or Iran to rush in and make a grab for power.

The U.S. wants to keep perhaps several thousand troops in Iraq, not to engage in combat but to guard against an unravelling of a still-fragile peace.

And if the Pentagon has its way, troops could be in Iraq for years yet.

This was made clear during Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit Thursday and Friday in which he and the top U.S. commander in Iraq talked up the prospect of an extended U.S. stay.

How big a military commitment might the U.S. be willing to make beyond 2011?

'It just depends on what the Iraqis want and what we're able to provide and afford,' Mr Gates as he visited a U.S. base in the northern city of Mosul where U.S. soldiers advise and mentor Iraqi forces.

He said the U.S. would consider a range of possibilities, from staying an extra couple of years to remaining in Iraq as permanent partners. Read More

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