Spring Break
Iraqi prime minister expects faster U.S. pullout
Robert H. Reid - Associated Press
Issue date: 1/27/09 Section: News
BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister said Monday he believes the U.S. will withdraw its troops more quickly than the three-year timeline set down in a U.S.-Iraq security agreement. The U.S., meanwhile, suffered its biggest single loss of life in months when two helicopters crashed, killing four service members.
An agreement negotiated under former President George W. Bush's administration called for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from Baghdad and other cities by the end of June, with all American forces out of the country by the end of 2011.
President Barack Obama campaigned on a promise to remove all combat troops within 16 months and has asked the Pentagon to plan for "a responsible military drawdown from Iraq."
With planning under way, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told a political rally south of Baghdad that he believes the end of the U.S. mission "will be brought forward" and that Iraq must bolster its own forces to meet the challenge after the Americans leave.
The Shiite-led government pushed for a faster U.S. pullout during last year's negotiations on the security agreement, overcoming longtime Bush administration opposition to a fixed withdrawal schedule.
Al-Maliki has been campaigning actively on behalf of his allies for next weekend's provincial elections, promoting his image as the leader who restored stability and ended what many Iraqis see as a U.S. military occupation.
At the same time, however, U.S. officials in Iraq have cautioned that a hasty departure of the 142,000 U.S. troops could reverse the decline in violence and undermine Iraq's efforts to establish a stable government.
"I think the spirit of compromise, of accommodation, of focus on institutional development - all of that would run the risk of getting set aside" with a hasty withdrawal, outgoing U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker warned last week.
U.S. commanders are carefully watching Saturday's elections for members of provincial councils as an indicator of whether Iraqi factions are willing to resolve their differences politically instead of on the battlefield.
An agreement negotiated under former President George W. Bush's administration called for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from Baghdad and other cities by the end of June, with all American forces out of the country by the end of 2011.
President Barack Obama campaigned on a promise to remove all combat troops within 16 months and has asked the Pentagon to plan for "a responsible military drawdown from Iraq."
With planning under way, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told a political rally south of Baghdad that he believes the end of the U.S. mission "will be brought forward" and that Iraq must bolster its own forces to meet the challenge after the Americans leave.
The Shiite-led government pushed for a faster U.S. pullout during last year's negotiations on the security agreement, overcoming longtime Bush administration opposition to a fixed withdrawal schedule.
Al-Maliki has been campaigning actively on behalf of his allies for next weekend's provincial elections, promoting his image as the leader who restored stability and ended what many Iraqis see as a U.S. military occupation.
At the same time, however, U.S. officials in Iraq have cautioned that a hasty departure of the 142,000 U.S. troops could reverse the decline in violence and undermine Iraq's efforts to establish a stable government.
"I think the spirit of compromise, of accommodation, of focus on institutional development - all of that would run the risk of getting set aside" with a hasty withdrawal, outgoing U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker warned last week.
U.S. commanders are carefully watching Saturday's elections for members of provincial councils as an indicator of whether Iraqi factions are willing to resolve their differences politically instead of on the battlefield.
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