U.S. commander urges patience on Iraq troop levels

MUSSAYAB, Iraq (Reuters) - The United States could quickly lose its security gains in Iraq to insurgents if troops are sent home prematurely, a senior U.S. military commander said on Wednesday.

Major-General Rick Lynch, commander of U.S. forces south of Baghdad, said security remained fragile after widespread fighting last week between security forces and the Mehdi Army militia of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Lynch urged patience on U.S. troop levels, a major theme in the American presidential election campaign.

"Ninety-six hours after we leave a place the enemy will come right back. The gains we fought hard for could easily be lost," Lynch told Reuters.

Hundreds of people were killed and many more wounded in clashes last week between Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite militiamen in southern Iraq and Baghdad.

"Last week has been a difficult week across the area," Lynch said while puffing on a cigar on a tour of Mussayab, a mainly Shi'ite town 60 km (40 miles) south of Baghdad.

The United States is expected to withdraw some 20,000 combat troops by July following overall falls in violence in Iraq. U.S. commanders say around 140,000 soldiers will remain.

Lynch, who is on his third deployment to Iraq, said the U.S. military would need to closely review the capability and strength of the Iraqi security forces before deciding on a further drawdown in troops.

Underscoring the problems, U.S. military spokesman Major-General Kevin Bergner told a news conference in Baghdad that some Iraqi security forces were "not up to the task" in dealing with the militia crackdown last week.

The U.S. military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus and U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker will give a much-anticipated report on Iraq to Congress next week. Petraeus is expected to recommend a pause in troop withdrawals after July.

Lynch criticized politicians in Washington for trying to speed up the military campaign in Iraq.

"We live in a country without patience," he said. "You can't put a timetable on it," he said, referring to future troop cuts.

Both Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton want to quickly withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain was a key supporter of U.S. President George W. Bush's decision to send reinforcements to Iraq in early 2007.

Lynch said he backed Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's decision to crack down on the Mehdi Army in southern Iraq.

He said it had allowed Iraqi security forces and the U.S. military to capture nearly 600 criminals and gunmen, of which 200 remained in detention.

"This is not a bad thing as some have portrayed. We were able to take the fight to them," he said.

Fighting has fallen sharply this week since Sadr ordered his fighters off the streets on Sunday.

Lynch said Sadr's announcement helped reduce violence, but added the cleric did not have control over all of his followers.

"Not every extremist listens to Sadr," he said. "The security situation is always tenuous."