Iraqi government minister criticizes U.S. occupation

[MissWaverly]

http://www.watchingamerica.com/azzaman000031.html

A government minister has openly lambasted U.S. occupation of the country, blaming it for the upsurge in violence and rampant corruption.
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Transport Minister Salam al-Maliki said that the presence of U.S.-led forces was as detrimental to the country's well-being as the devastation of terrorist attacks.

"Corruption, terror ... and occupation are taking their daily toll on the lives of Iraqi citizens," Maliki said in an interview.

He said that the worsening conditions in Iraq along with the upsurge in terror, insurgent attacks and violence, "are a product of the occupation."

Maliki is the first government minister to publicly condemn U.S. forces, saying that they shoulder responsibility of the chaos in the country.