Washington: Barack Obama will meet top defence and military officials on Wednesday for the first time as President to discuss the possibility of accelerating the drawdown of US troops from Iraq, officials said.
During his inaugural address at the swearing-in as the 44th President of the US, Obama had vowed the United States would begin to leave Iraq responsibly but cited no specific timetable.
"We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet," Obama had said during his speech after being sworn in to the highest office in the country.
Obama, who has pledged to pull US combat forces out of Iraq within 16 months, was also expected to discuss the need for more forces in Afghanistan at the White House with a Pentagon delegation led by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, officials said.
The United States currently has 1,42,000 troops in Iraq and 33,000 in Afghanistan.
Obama made the 16-month Iraq withdrawal timetable a centerpiece of his presidential campaign despite misgivings among commanders who have advised a cautious approach to troop cuts.
Obama also said he would confer with senior defense and military officials before reaching a final decision.
Gen David Petraeus, the former Iraq commander credited with pulling the country from the brink of civil war, was due to fly to the United States from Afghanistan to attend Wednesday's meeting in person, a senior military official said. Petraeus now oversees US war efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan as head of US Central Command.
US Commander in Iraq, Gen Ray Odierno, was expected to join the conversation via video-link from Iraq.
Pentagon leaders were expected to provide Obama with a menu of withdrawal options and their respective inherent risks, including one for a 16-month drawdown.
A 16-month withdrawal would have combat forces out of Iraq in May 2010. The United States recently reached an agreement with Iraq that would require all US forces to leave by the end of 2011.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the new President would instruct the Pentagon to prepare for a stepped-up withdrawal of combat troops and hear proposals for addressing a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
The Washington Post also said Obama has indicated he would move ahead with proposed plans to send as many as 30,000 additional US troops to Afghanistan.
in his inaugural address, the new US President Barack Obama also paid glowing tribute to the US soldiers fighting the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains," he said.
"We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all," he said
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