Gates: U.S. troops could stay in Iraq for years

Gates met soldiers of the 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, in Mosul, where — like the troops Gates met one day earlier in Baghdad — they asked if they would actually be staying beyond 2011, and if so, for how long.

“Well, I think that would be part of any negotiation,” Gates answered, “... whether it would be for a finite period of time, whether it would be negotiated that there be a further ramp down over a period of two or three years, or whether we would have a continuing advise-and-assist role that we have in a number of countries that just becomes part of a regular military-to-military relationship.”

Any extension, however, would be smaller than the current 47,000-member force in Iraq.