Leon Panetta did not want the U.S. military to completely withdraw from Iraq in 2011, and he wishes America had gotten involved sooner in combating the growing threat of Islamic terrorist groups in Syria.
In an interview scheduled to air Sunday evening, the former Secretary of Defense told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” he did not believe it was the right thing to do to pull all U.S. forces out of Iraq in December of 2011.
“I really thought that it was important for us to maintain a presence in Iraq,” Panetta told correspondent Scott Pelley.
U.S. troops left Iraq after the country’s prime minister rejected an agreement that would have allowed a small military presence to remain in the country.
Critics say President Obama should have fought harder to convince then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to agree to a deal to keep troops in the country. The U.S. wanted immunity for its troops accused of breaking the law in the country.
Panetta told Pelley he wanted the U.S. to get involved sooner in Syria, where a civil war broke out in March 2011, creating an environment that has allowed terrorist groups to flourish.
Panetta said Obama’s national security advisors urged him to take stronger action.
“The real key was how can we develop a leadership group among the opposition that would be able to take control,” Panetta said. “And my view was to have leverage to do that, we would have to provide the weapons and the training in order for them to really be willing to work with us in that effort.”
Panetta said Obama was worried U.S. weapons could end up in the wrong hands.
That same concern was echoed recently by Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who last week endorsed a plan to authorize Obama to arm and equip so-called moderate Syrian rebels.
Panetta said he understood the president’s fears, adding, “My view was, you have to begin somewhere.”
