US Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned Wednesday that Iraq will face major security "problems" if US troops leave as planned by late 2011 and said more forces would stay on if asked by Baghdad.

"There is certainly, on our part, an interest in having an additional presence" above levels set by a 2008 accord, Gates told the House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee.

"The truth of the matter is, the Iraqis are going to have some problems that they're going to have to deal with if we are not there in some numbers," he said, warning "they won't be able to protect their own airspace," will face intelligence challenges and "have problems with logistics and maintenance."

"But it's their country. It's a sovereign country," he said. "And we will abide by the agreement, unless the Iraqis ask us to have additional people there."

The US ambassador to Baghdad, James Jeffrey, and top military commander in Iraq, General Lloyd Austin, told US lawmakers at a February 4 hearing that they were confident that Iraq would be stable after the US withdrawal.

Austin and Jeffrey also said they had no indication the Iraqis want the US military to remain beyond the target withdrawal date.

The Pentagon said in late January that the United States was on track to complete its scheduled pullout by the end of the year, despite recent violent attacks which, it said, seemed calculated to disrupt that timetable.

There are still some 50,000 US troops in Iraq, where the United States formally ended its combat mission on August 31 of last year, down from a peak of about 170,000.

US military operations now are primarily focused on advising and training local forces, while the US State Department has moved to enact a "civilian surge" to fill the gap left by the Pentagon's draw-down.

Starting in 2012, the US presence in Iraq will consist of up to 20,000 civilians at sites that include two embassy branches, two consulates and three police training centers. The figures includes armed private security personnel, support staff and diplomats.

Share This Article With Planet Earth