Profile of David Petraeus

Transcript of The Times interview with David Petraeus

General David Petraeus today handed over control of coalition forces in Iraq to General Ray Odierno, the imposing, bullet-headed infantryman tasked with keeping the peace in Iraq, while reducing American troop numbers.

Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary who had flown into Baghdad to preside over the ceremony, told the new commander that progress had been made in the country but that General Odierno still had much to do.

“He knows that we are at a pivotal moment, where progress remains fragile and caution should be the order of the day,” said Mr Gates.

With his shaven head and bulky 6 ft 5in frame, General Odierno cut a powerful figure as he addressed the hundreds of gathered dignitaries and soldiers. The ceremony took place in the Al-Faw Palace, a luxurious riverside building that once used to belong to Saddam Hussein and is rumoured to have the second largest chandelier in the world.

General Odierno, Mr Gates and Geneneral Petraeus started their speeches after the 10th Mountain Division Band had played the Iraqi and US national anthems and the Multi-National Force flag was passed from General Petraeus to his replacement.

Geneneral Odierno is no stranger to Iraq. In December 2003 he commanded the forces who captured Saddam Hussein in a “spider hole”. At this time, his men were accused of ignoring hearts and minds and driving Sunnis towards the insurgency with mass arrests and village raids.

But when he took command today he was keen to stress the importance of winning the Iraqi people over, a lesson he appears to have learnt from his predecessor, under whom he served in 2006.

In a statement to coalition forces, General Odierno said soldiers needed to move among the population on foot and that “the Iraqi people are the decision terrain.”

“Walk. Move mounted, work dismounted. Patrol on foot and engage the population with the ISF [Iraqi security forces] in front whenever possible. Situational awareness can only be gained by interacting with the people face-to-face,” he wrote.

Much of General Odierno’s work will be interacting with Iraqi political leaders. He will also oversee the scaling back of the 146,000 international troops in the country, as their Iraqi counterparts increasingly take control. Anbar, the former insurgent stronghold, and ten other provinces have already been handed back to Iraqi command, it is believed by the end of the year other provinces will follow.

General Odierno said that the while the US still has much to do, the Iraqis must take charge.

He said: “This struggle is their’s to win.”

Despite warnings that complacency could lead Iraq sliding back to the abyss, the feeling of the ceremony was upbeat and reflections were made on how far General Petraeus had brought the country.

Mr Gates said that in February 2007, when General Petraeus took over command, “darkness had descended on this land… Merchants of chaos were gaining strength. Death was commonplace. Around the world, questions mounted about whether a new strategy — or any strategy, for that matter — could make a real difference.

“You have dealt enemies of the United States and Iraq a tremendous, if not mortal blow. History will regard you as one of our nation’s great battle captains,” said Mr Gates.

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