SILVER SPRING, Md., Dec. 6 (UPI) -- The leader of a U.S. peace activist group Wednesday criticized the Iraq Study Group for not recommending an immediate full troop withdrawal.
"The civil war in Iraq is spiraling out of control and it's unclear whether the government of Prime Minister (Nouri) al-Maliki can survive, yet the [Iraq Study Group] report will call for 'gradual' withdrawal of troops," said Kevin Martin, executive director of Peace Action, a grassroots organization based in Silver Spring, Md., that claims 100,000 members across the United States.
"It's no time for gradual anything," Martin said. "We need bold and creative actions to dramatically change the dynamic in Iraq, not tepid recommendations for political consumption at home."
"The first necessary step is an immediate cease-fire and an announcement that the United States will be withdrawing its troops, on a timetable, and that we have no plans to leave behind military bases or to control Iraqi oil, but by all accounts this will be noticeably absent from the recommendations," Martin said.
