Iraq Not Requesting American Troops Stay After This Year: Mullen

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has not requested an extension of an end-2011 deadline for the United States to withdraw its troops, the top U.S. military officer said on Friday, following talks with Iraq's prime minister.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on a visit to Baghdad that Iraq would need to begin talks very soon if it wanted to alter that plan in order to avoid "irrevocable logistics and operational decisions we must make in the coming weeks."

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said the country's police and army are ready and U.S. troops will not be needed beyond the year's end.

Maliki said in a statement released on his website late on Thursday that the government was keen to develop relations with the United States, particularly with regards to training and arming its security forces.

"Our security forces are now able to hold the responsibility, preserve the security and to act professionally and patriotically," Maliki said.

"We will enhance its combat ability through supplying it with modern arms and equipment."

Although the capacity of government forces to fend off an insurgency still capable of lethal attacks remains a concern, any extended U.S. troops' presence is politically tricky for Iraqi leaders.

Anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose Sadr bloc is part of Maliki's government, will "escalate military resistance" and unleash his Mehdi army militia if U.S. troops fail to leave Iraq by year-end, his aides said earlier this month.

Sadr's political movement won strong support in elections last year and overcame animosity toward Maliki to join his coalition government.

His Mehdi Army militia fought U.S. troops during the height of Iraq's sectarian violence in 2006-7 and Maliki sent government troops to crush the militia in 2008.

(Reporting by Jim Loney and Phil Stewart; Writing by Serena Chaudhry; Editing by Louise Ireland and Paul Taylor)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[brokerallen]

02:18 PM on 04/26/2011

We should respect their wishes.

[minnehot]

09:31 AM on 04/25/2011

Nonsense. We will be keeping 10,000 troops in Iraq for many years to come..

[plaidsportcoat]

05:51 AM on 04/25/2011

wow

what a surprise

[BestGuest]

05:46 AM on 04/25/2011

It's interesting... This is an illegal war but no one has gone to court yet.

Im sure the lives of hundreds of thousands of |r@qi's is worth at least a trial.... No?

[Yeuk Moy]

01:34 PM on 04/27/2011

Who would enforce the "court's" decision"?

[BestGuest]

05:43 AM on 04/25/2011

Oh no.... now what?

[Talab]

04:48 AM on 04/25/2011

How about lets NOT wait till the end of the year , bring them home now . The savings just might save healthcare for the elderly and kids

[DenverWilliam]

12:22 AM on 04/25/2011

Lets not let the door hit us in the #$%$

[nelson rivera]

12:08 AM on 04/25/2011

Obama you got extra troops to sent somewhere.

[Talab]

04:50 AM on 04/25/2011

How about home . the military has been overstretched for a few years now

[BannedInBoston]

12:00 AM on 04/25/2011

Not requesting US troops stay -- is that like, hint, hint? Since, when it comes to military occupations, the US doesn't seem very good at the old hint, hint game, can you, um, like, please just tell us to LEAVE? NOW???

[drjasonmd]

11:59 PM on 04/24/2011

Another imperialist adventure draws to a close.

[DAE]

10:01 PM on 04/24/2011

The Iraqis seem to have fended for themselves just fine before we invaded so I cannot fathom why we need to stay on. If we do it will be because of a lot of arm twisting not out of any altruism towards the Iraqis but out of concern for our own strategic interests in the Middle East. This whole episode has resulted in the total exposure of American hypocrisy, the further destruction of the American economy, the advancement of Iranian regional interests and ultimately the enrichment of US war profiteers.

[Yeuk Moy]

01:37 PM on 04/27/2011

"The Iraqis seem to have fended for themselves just fine before we invaded .."

And then we gutted their economy, police force, army, otehr security apparatus, and courts.

I really do not think we should stay either, but that first sentence was so wrong on so many levels.

[DAE]

02:49 PM on 04/27/2011

Agreed. We should make reparations. My point being that they don't need us to maintain and protect their sovereignty.

[wom122]

09:09 PM on 04/24/2011

I bet we'll stay in Iraq for many more years no matter what the Iraqis say. I would be delighted to lose my bet.

[DenverWilliam]

12:23 AM on 04/25/2011

wouldnt surprise me a bit...

[OliverTwist]

06:27 PM on 04/24/2011

Since we can't seem to restrain the killings ordered our leaders ourselves, it is good that some others have the courage to tell them to at least go kill someplace else.

[sophiemaki]

05:26 PM on 04/24/2011

who is in control.......?
do we bow to their lasting request?

[drjasonmd]

11:59 PM on 04/24/2011

Your first question remains conspicuously unanswered.

[linton]

05:15 PM on 04/24/2011

That is good news, please bring the Troops Home!