Iraqi elections, U.S. drawdown to proceed Published March 4, 2010 By Lisa Daniel American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Iraq's upcoming elections and the U.S. drawdown of troops there later this year will go on undeterred by the suicide bombings March 3 and previous attacks like it, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here March 3. "Neither this attack nor any of the previous attempts to derail the electoral process and to destabilize the government have been or will be successful, nor do we anticipate that it will derail our responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq," Mr. Morrell said. The United States has about 96,000 servicemembers in Iraq and will maintain that level in the weeks following the March 7 national elections, Mr. Morrell said. That troop strength is necessary to provide for a peaceful transfer of power. "But once that has been established, we are prepared to draw down dramatically" to get to President Barack Obama's goal of having 50,000 troops in Iraq by Sept. 1, he said. Suicide bombers attacked two police stations and a hospital just outside Baghdad in Baqouba early March 3, reportedly killing dozens of people. "It's disgraceful, it's deplorable and we strongly condemn it," Mr. Morrell said of the attack. The elections mark the third time Iraqis have gone to the polls since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, and the second time under the current constitution, Mr. Morrell said. They are the first Iraqi national elections to take place without a large-scale insurgency and widespread sectarian violence, and unlike previous elections, no major political parties or ethnic groups are boycotting the elections, he said.. "This is an historic opportunity, and Iraqis recognize it as such," he said. "We expect participation to be broad across Iraq's ethnic and sectarian spectrum. " Officials from the U.S. and international organizations, including the United Nations, are assisting Iraqi Independent High Commission members as needed, "although frankly, they haven't needed much," Mr. Morrell said. Iraqi forces are leading security efforts, he told reporters, and U.S. officials stand ready to assist them if called upon. "The bottom line is, this is the Iraqis' election, and all indications are that they are more than prepared to pull it off," he said.