Iraqi official: We 'are much more suited now for this fight'
WASHINGTON (CNN) – An Iraqi national security adviser refused Sunday to state whether the Iraqi government would allow U.S. forces to remain in some cities beyond an upcoming deadline but, at the same time, declared that his government was more ready now to maintain control in the country.
“We, the government of Iraq and the security forces in Iraq are much more suited now for this fight,” Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie said on CNN’s State of the Union. “And we believe that now we are leading and we are planning and carrying out most of the combat operations in the country and the United States forces are moving or transitioning to a more support role, more training, more providing more logistical support, rather than engaging in a huge military or kinetic combat operations.”
But al-Rubaie refused to say whether the Iraqi government would permit U.S. troops to stay in the country’s cities past an upcoming June 30 deadline if U.S. Gen. Ray Odierno decided the presence of U.S. troops was still necessary.
“I don't think we should answer this hypothetical question now,” al-Rubaie told Chief National Correspondent John King.
And al-Rubaie was mum when asked how new President Barack Obama was different from former President George W. Bush when it comes to diplomacy and conducting the affairs on the United States.
“I don't want to elaborate on differences,” the Iraqi security adviser said. “But I believe that President Obama understands the situation in Iraq and I believe he wants to stick by ... the withdrawal agreement.”
Related: U.S. should be out of Iraq by late 2011, general says
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No, send our trops home now! what is wrong with these moronic libs anyway! they got us into to this war, they need to get us out now!
Thanks BUsh, you now have made it possible for a withdrawl when conditions on the ground permit it.
Thanks Obama, for following Bush's plan.
Paying the enemy not to fight is working out just fine so far.When the money stops,things will go right back to what they were.I was a surge of money payments that worked not troops.
4,271 brave Americans have died in Iraq to date. $613 billion dollars of mostly borrowed money have been spent so far for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. It's time to bring our surviving heroes home.
"No, send our trops home now! what is wrong with these moronic libs anyway! they got us into to this war, they need to get us out now!"
LIBERALS got us into Iraq? Republican self-deception has reached a new height.
Bring the troops home now,and lets talk about the 88 trillion dollars in toxic assets J .P.Morgan is holding.That figure is more than the GDP of the entire world.
The Iraq war should never have been the America's war. Bush's dream of a democratic world was a pipe dream that did not take into account
the international politics and forces that shape people's political behavior, including their religious beliefs.
The original agreement was to have our troops out of Iraq on December 31, 2008. Bush negotiated a longer stay by putting our troops under the leadership of the Iraqis.
He is hedging his bet for he knows the Iraqis are too lazy and chickent to put their lives on the line to defend for what they say they believe or even for their country. They do not want to give up the protection the money we are spending for their health care, their economy, and the rebuilding of their country.
We have republicans here that want us to stay a hundred years and keep sending man power, money for rebuilding the country, maintain prison facilities, and spend our tax dollars in Iraq, but holler like heck if we even mention health care for everyone for this country
They are more than willing to run the country into bankruptcy supporting their picked puppet governments in other places of the world to help some in need in this country is WELFARE.
it's the opposite headline from other sources, which claim widespread worry over US troop withdrawls.
i wonder what the actual truth is, and why it's so hard to find.
Liberals got them into the mess? Oh this I have to hear. Zg, would you care to elaborate on that delusion? Your sense of history and time seems rather skewed.
Erik in Real Pennsylvania said, "4,271 brave Americans have died in Iraq to date. $613 billion dollars of mostly borrowed money have been spent so far for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. It's time to bring our surviving heroes home."
4271 brave Americans died, and more than 45,000 were wounded (many permanently) and almost $700 billions was spent...so that Bush and Cheney and their corporate friends could get rich...while Bush ignored the threats in Afghanistan and Somalia. It's time to quit Iraq and to bring Bush and Cheney to trial for treason and war crimes.
tim,
Bush didn't have a plan....Thank you President Obama, for getting the job done the right way......God bless our 'Boots on the Ground.'