Iraq Minister: Allies May Leave in 18 Mos.

[cal04]

Iraq's interior minister told British television Sunday he expected U.S. and other foreign forces to leave his country within 18 months.
Falah al-Naqib told Channel 4 News that Iraq was well on its way to building its own security force and multinational forces would no longer be required. "I think we will be able to depend on ourselves, if everything goes in the right direction," al-Naqib said.

"We are building our forces and I think we will need 18 months. It's my estimate that we will have quite a reasonable-sized force,trained, well-trained force, well-equipped to protect the country." "So I believe very much that we won't need more than 18 months," al-Naqib said.

Iraqis showed support for democracy in large numbers Sunday, standing in long lines to vote for a National Assembly and provincial legislatures. U.S. officials are counting on the new government and increased training of Iraqi security forces to help stabilize the country, paving the way for the 150,000 U.S. troops to eventually go home.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&u=/ap/20050130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/britain_iraq_force_withdrawal&printer=1

[Orsino]

1. They'll be needed in Iran/Syria/Lebanon by then. n/t

[CatholicEdHead]

2. Friday NBC Nightly News

gave the time frame as Dec 31 2005 to be completly pulled out of Iraq after their Constitution is ratified.

[twaddler01]

3. hear that?

Let's write this down...

*notes date in calender*

[daleo]

4. This will never happen.

Unless they re-define the 18 U.S. bases as non-Iraqi soil. Bush didn't go to all this trouble to leave nicely when asked - he will have to be pushed out by Iraqi military opposition or U.S. political opposition. The opinions of Iraqi politicians won't cut it.

[Just Me]

11. So, who are they trying to fool: themselves or everyone else?

PNAC dictates PERMANENT MILITARY PRESENCE as in a 'NO EXIT PLAN'.

So, are the Iraqi politicos fooling themselves or everyone else?
:shrug:

[daleo]

14. Depends on the politician I guess

Some are probably bought and paid for, like Allawi, so they are just trying to fool the Iraqi population and the world. Others are probably naive, and are just fooling themselves. Then, I would guess there are those who are waiting for their chance, and just fooling Bush.

[EFerrari]

5. Wrong. The elephant will still have 18 more months to go. n/t

[leftchick]

6. Read This AmeriKan Numbnuts!!! The USA isn't leaving the ME ! Ever!!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2281&ncid=742&e=5&u=/thenation/20050118/cm_thenation/132132


Though the media ignored Kerry's statement and failed to do any substantive follow-up research, his comments were well-grounded in reality. On the day of the debate the Christian Science Monitor spotlighted the findings of defense specialist John Pike, whose website, GlobalSecurity.org, located twelve "enduring bases" in Iraq, including satellite photos and names. In March, the Chicago Tribune reported that US engineers were constructing fourteen such long-term encampments--the number Kerry referred to. The New York Times previously placed the number at four.


While the exact figure may change, suspicions of undisclosed US imperial plans--exemplified by permanent military bases--rightfully linger. Before the war, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz suggested moving US troops stationed in Saudi Arabia into Iraq. In October, a survey by the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes found that two-thirds of respondents disapproved of a permanent military presence, even though more than half thought the US would build the bases anyway.


Now comes a report in the New York Sun by Eli Lake revealing that the Pentagon (news - web sites) is building a permanent military communications system in Iraq, a necessary foundation for any lasting troop presence. The new network will comprise twelve communications towers throughout Iraq, linking Camp Victory in Baghdad to other existing (and future) bases across the country, eventually connecting with US bases in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan (news - web sites).


"People need to get realistic and think in terms of our presence being in Iraq for a generation or until democratic stability in the region is reached," Dewey Clarridge, the CIA (news - web sites)'s former chief of Arab operations (and Iran-contra point man), told the Sun.

[merwin]

7. 'IF EVERYTHING GOES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION'. hehe.

So we'll be there for 5 more years at least

[njdemocrat106]

8. Fat chance of that happening in 18 months

This will still be an issue by November 2008, and once again, the Republicans are going to bring out their bag of lies, saying that Iraq was partly responsible for September 11 and all that crap.

[Rockerdem]

9. We will stay at the pleasure (or lack of it) of the Shiites

If the majority of them decide to march on the Green Zone, we are toast.

[TolstoyAndy]

10. ...then again, they may not n/t

[leesa]

12. Or not...will your oil be sucked dry by then?

Will we be done using our military bases there to attack the rest of the ME?

[GetTheRightVote]

13. 18 months to transfer troops to Iran, watch & see

:kick:

[ElectroPrincess]

17. We don't have the troops to invade Iran ...

WE THE PEOPLE can stop this insanity.

Don't enlist! Don't go to the Middle East!

We have the numbers to counter these evil warmongering corporate ba*tards.

All it takes is the will to NOT fight.

No Cannon Fodder - NO WARS!

O8)

We have the power.

[ElectroPrincess]

20. Anti-Draft Resource Links

http://www.geocities.com/draft_in_2005/Anti_draft_org.htm

[ClintonTyree]

15. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ...................

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.....apparently this poor soul doesn't know about the 14 permanent bases constructed by US forces in his country? Leave? He's got to be joking, right? Leave?

[Disturbed]

16. The Occupation will be over in about 2 years.

The the U.S. troops will remain at the 14 bases to protect the Democratic Republic of Iraq's oil wells, until the oil runs out.

[IndianaGreen]

18. The damage to the US brought by Bush's invasion of Iraq will last...

for generations to come.

[Massachusetts]

19. The REAL struggle for power commences

Shiites as the majority (Iran is happy), Sunnis Arabs, Turkmen. OUR Troops will be stuck in the middle of an on going civil war that will only get worse as time goes on.IMO

The election was a joke.:bounce: The chimp can ONLY claim that there was the appearance (theater) of one.