Iraq prime minister expects speedier US pullout

[bigtree]

Mon Jan 26, 2009

BAGHDAD, Jan 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will withdraw forces from Iraq sooner than the three-year deadline agreed by ex-president George W. Bush, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday.

Under a pact agreed with the previous U.S. administration, the U.S. troops that invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein have until the end of 2011 to leave.

But Obama pledged during his election campaign to pull out combat troops within 16 months. U.S. defence officials say that 16-month timeline is one of the options on the drawing board.

The pace of withdrawals "will be accelerated and occur before the date set in the agreement", Maliki told a crowd of supporters in the southern Iraqi city of Babel during a campaign rally ahead of Jan. 31 provincial elections.

"As a result, we must boost the determination of our brothers in the ministries of defence and interior to complete the building up of our military and security forces to take on fully the task of providing and preserving growing security."


http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSLQ237863

[bluestateguy]

1. All "combat troops"

And the Obama Administration gets to interpret what the definition is of a "combat troop".

[bigtree]

2. right

. . . leaving a 'residual force' of 30,000 to 50,000 troops to 'fight terrorists', 'train Iraqis', and 'protect U.S. interests', according to Pres. Obama.