Iraq Rules Out Extension Of U.S. Withdrawal Dates

Reuters:

BAGHDAD - Iraq will not extend withdrawal deadlines for U.S. troops set out in a bilateral accord, ending months of speculation about whether U.S. combat troops would stay beyond June in bases in the restive northern city of Mosul.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Iraq was committed to adhering to the withdrawal schedule in the pact, which took effect on January 1, including the requirement to withdraw U.S. combat troops from towns and cities by the end of June and a full withdrawal by the end of 2011.

Read the whole story: Reuters

Comments

[motown67]

There was talk in recent months of extending the stay of US forces in Baquba, Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. Now the Iraqis have said this won't happen. That won't mean U.S. forces still won't be conducting operations, and the U.S. has bases inside or just outside all of those areas that will not be covered by the Status of Forces Agreement. This will put more onus on the Iraqi forces, who can hold their ground and conduct operations, but are not as professional as the U.S. and are more lax, and still rely upon the Americans for a lot of support. musingsoni­raq.blogsp­ot.com

[handyallen1]

good lets get out now

[jsgaetano]

Mission Accomplished!

[sposton]

Iraqis can't wait until we leave so that they can bring their civil war to a "natural" conclusion. US troops staying for this long only delayed the inevitable. The US should have convened some kind of regional conference to get the neighbors to agree to moderate their Iraqi proxies and make Iraqi government more representatives of Iraq's people. Without this there is a good chance the Iraqi civil war will engulf Iraq's neighbors to one degree or another. Saudis and Jordanians will support Sunnis, Iran will support Shiites, Kurds will go their way and potentially invite Turkish intervention. And if we try to intervene they will all turn against us. Well, that's just one possible scenario and I hope I am wrong.

[vesaversa1]

This is very good news for the Obama administration .

[Troubledwawa]

Good.

C'mon home troops!

[1differentdrummer]

Absolutely. From the start this was a failed enterprise, now bring 'em home.

[lcdbsez]

Uhhhhh-ohhhhh . . . guess this means Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater -- uhhh, make that Xe -- Dynacorps, Lockheed-Martin, etc., etc., et al, ad nauseum will have to find a new taxpayer-funded scam to make their obscene profits from . . .

These friends of the Cheney/Bush regime couldn't make a dime! without a steady stream of generous no-bid government contracts . . . and the rightwing pro-biz lunatics whine about "welfare cheats" -- guess they should know one when they see one . . . what hypocrites!!

I'll be watching for a new batch of "warm and fuzzy" ads about how wonderful! these corporate guardians of our democracy are . . . and how we should be grateful! and give them even more of our money . . . to run up costs and delay projects for years and years . . . and build facilities for our troops with the cheapest labor and materials available, resulting in electrocutions in bathroom showers, for example (KBR = The World's Best Electrocution Showers!!) . . . hey! it's all good (profits!!) -- right???

[dashcat]

I haven't been following this thread so I'm not sure how Israel got intertwined into this article about Iraq not extending withdrawal dates.

I just want to say...GOOD, GREAT, YAY, let's get the hell out of there and let the Iraqis take care of their country.

They do have the right to throw us out and I'm glad they are doing it since we have a hard time leaving the party.

Even GWB said he would respect the sovereignty of the puppet government we helped install there. Puppet government or not, they don't want us and I think we should get the hell out as soon as humanly possible.

[rsprags]

This decision is not up to them; President Obama made it clear to the Iraqi leaders doing his visits that the troops would begun to deploy in June 2009 and continue until they were all out in 18 months. They do not want us gone any more than we want to go. There will be some violence; they will learn to root out the bombers etc in 18 months and how to deal with their people tribal issues as we have done in the U.S. It is a work in progress and it may take 100s of years as it has done in the U.S and all over the world; it is called life.

[Acidic]

I love everyone!!!! Maybe this warm and fuzzy post will get through.

[houskin]

Why would anyone want to extend the deadline anyways? Its time to leave damn it. I am happy Haliburton, and KBR pals are out of Washington. We would have put a gun over their head unless they sign the extension.

Lets hope and pray that Obama is not a wolf in sheep clothing

[GOPpizzaParty]

I truly hate Isrl -- it's about all the 21%ers have left.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PVoHhuZqrQ

[researcher]

fools dont they realize that is our oil now.

we won they lost now give us our oil

winner take all

god I love imperialism that is black gold over there ie 40 years worth

signed
just your average church going repub

ps we americans are best at everything

we christians know how to torture

ask condi

[Nonamnesiac]

Just opening negotiations by the non-representative Iraqi government. The Iraqi government is holding out for more graft before they sellout the Iraqi populace, which has continuously been polled as two-thirds or more wanting withdrawal of all US troops and contractors within six months. Once the graft amount reaches acceptable proportions for the Iraqi government (the personal payoff to enough of the politicians is large enough), the Iraqi government will permit US troops to stay a little longer.

[brenbags]

Whats with HP.ost deleting comments. They lose all credibility when they do that. How can they claim to be anything when they can't demonstrate the most basic Ameri.can right. Freedom of speech. VERY VERY hyp.ocritical.