No plans to extend military deployment in Iraq: Gates

WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says he does not anticipate extending US troop deployments in Iraq beyond 15 months, which he called a "worst-case scenario" for the Pentagon.

Gates endorsed the military's efforts to work with some Iraqi insurgents who initially fought against US forces. That may be the only way to bring peace to the bitterly divided nation, he said.

"If we refuse to work with or ally with everybody who's been on the other side of the fence, then the prospects for making any progress in Iraq are pretty slim," Gates told Pentagon reporters at a news briefing. "Trying to bring some level of peace to Iraq is trying to persuade some people who have been fighting to stop fighting and become a part of a political process."

Gates and Gen Peter Pace, the nation's top soldier as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged some risk in arming groups that have attacked US troops in the past.  They said the strategy has worked well in the Anbar province.

"I think there's a greater risk of missed opportunities ... that we should seize on those opportunities," Pace said.

Gates also told reporters he could not say how long American forces would have to stay at increased levels in the effort to secure Baghdad. The current US force in Iraq is 156,000 after the final brigade in the nearly 30,000-troop buildup moved into Iraq and begun operations.