Clinton would keep some US troops in Iraq

WASHINGTON -- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton foresees a "remaining military as well as political mission" in Iraq, and says that if elected president, she would keep a reduced but significant military force there to fight Al Qaeda , deter Iranian aggression, protect the Kurds, and possibly support the Iraqi military.

In a interview on Tuesday, Clinton said the scaled-down US military force that she would maintain would stay off the streets of Baghdad and would no longer try to protect Iraqis from sectarian violence -- even if it descended into ethnic cleansing.

Clinton articulated a more nuanced position than the one she has provided at her campaign events, where she has backed the goal of "bringing the troops home."

She said that there were "remaining vital national security interests in Iraq" that would require a continuing deployment of US troops.

The United States' security would be undermined if parts of Iraq turned into a failed state "that serves as a petri dish for insurgents and Al Qaeda ," Clinton said.

She declined to estimate the number of troops she would keep in Iraq, saying she would draw on the advice of the military officers who would carry out the strategy.

Clinton's plans carry some political risk. Although she has been extremely critical of the Bush administration's handling of the war, some liberal Democrats question her position on Iraq.

Clinton's proposal is also likely to stir up debate among military specialists. Some counterinsurgency experts say the plan is unrealistic because Iraqis are unlikely to provide useful tips about Al Qaeda if US troops interact less with the Iraqi public and end their efforts to protect neighborhoods.

But a former Pentagon official argued that such an approach would minimize American casualties and thus make it easier politically to sustain a long-term military presence that might prevent the fighting from spreading throughout the region.

Clinton appears to be trying to balance her own short-term political interests with the need to retain some flexibility to deal with the complexities of the Middle East.

The senator made it clear that she believed the next president is likely to face an Iraq that is still plagued by sectarian fighting and occupied by a sizable number of US troops. The likely problems, she said, include continued political disagreements in Baghdad, die-hard Sunni insurgents, Al Qaeda operatives, Turkish anxiety over the Kurds, and the effort to "prevent Iran from crossing the border and having too much influence inside Iraq."

While Clinton declined to estimate the size of a residual US troop presence, she indicated that they might be based north of Baghdad and in western Anbar Province.

Clinton described a mission with serious constraints.

"We would not be doing patrols," she added.

"We would not be kicking in doors. We would not be trying to insert ourselves in the middle between the various Shi'ite and Sunni factions. I do not think that's a smart or achievable mission for American forces."