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IRAQ WARS
US military denies decision to quit Iraq after 2011
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Oct 15, 2011


The Pentagon denied reports Saturday that the US military has given up on plans to keep several thousand troops in Iraq after a year-end deadline, saying talks with Baghdad were still underway.

US and Iraq officials have been negotiating a possible American military training mission of about 4,000 troops after 2011, but a dispute over legal protections for the US forces has jeopardized the security agreement.

The Associated Press, citing unnamed officials, reported that Washington had abandoned the plan for a contingent of several thousand troops and instead would have only a small team of 160 attached to the embassy in Baghdad.

In a statement to reporters, Pentagon press secretary George Little denied the negotiations had collapsed, saying the Obama administration had not made any decisions on a future mission.

"Suggestions that a final decision has been reached about our training relationship with the Iraqi government are wrong. Those discussions are ongoing," Little said.

The United States wanted to build a "robust security relationship" with Iraq and the talks with Baghdad were focused on the "nature of that relationship," he added.

Recent comments from Iraqi and US leaders have exposed a rift over legal protections for American troops, with US officials insisting their soldiers must be shielded from Iraqi prosecutions.

But Iraqi political party leaders have indicated they are not prepared to grant such legal safeguards.

All remaining 41,000 US troops in Iraq must withdraw by the end of the year under a bilateral security accord, which remains in force if no post-2011 deal is agreed.

Related Links
Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century




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IRAQ WARS
For Iraqis, the war is far from over
Baghdad (AFP) Oct 15, 2011
Bombs in Baghdad's Sadr City killed Abdul Aziz Sultan's brother while 16-year-old Mohammed Nasser lost a leg - stark reminders that even as US forces draw down, the war is far from over for Iraqis. US President Barack Obama said on October 7 that the United States was "responsibly ending" the war in Iraq. All of the roughly 41,000 US soldiers in Iraq are required to leave by year's end, ... read more


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