Asad Air Base, Iraq, Oct 10, SPA -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld greeted U.S. Marines at this dusty air field in Iraq's western desert Sunday morning, telling them it was unlikely the United States would pull out any troops before next year's elections. It was his first visit to Iraq since its interim government was installed in June. Rumsfeld had breakfast with senior Marine leaders, including Lt. Gen. John Sattler, the top Marine in Iraq, and Major Gen. Keith Stalder, commander of the 3rd Marine Wing, which is based at Al Asad, one of the biggest air fields in the country. Rumsfeld then gave a pep talk and fielded questions at a "town hall" style meeting with about 1,500 Marines. "We're so fortunate to be able to count on you in this time of peril," Rumsfeld said to applause as he stood at a makeshift podium inside an aircraft hangar. Insurgents, he said, were likely to increase the level of violence between now and the elections in January, so it was unlikely the U.S. military could withdraw any troops before then. "Our hope is that as we build up Iraqi forces we will be able to relieve the stress on our forces and see a reduction in coalition forces over some period of time, probably post-Iraqi election. But again, it will depend entirely on the security situation here in this country," Rumsfeld said. It was Rumsfeld's sixth trip to Iraq but his first to Anbar province, which includes portions of the so-called Sunni Triangle north and west of Baghdad.
