Urgent- Iraq says US troops will remain till 2020

Carol Samuelson on Mon Aug 16, 2010 7:19 pm

Tuesday, August 17th 2010 12:04 AM

Arbil, 17 August (Aknews) - Iraq's senior military officer announced on Monday that part of the U.S. forces would remain in Iraq until 2020, in order to provide assistance to Iraqi forces in the training and intelligence information, confirming the ability of Iraqi forces to maintain internal security.

Lieutenant General Babakir Zebari, told (Aknews), « The land security file is now in the hands of Iraqis, except for border points, shared with the U.S. forces in matters of protection and advice.

"The air and naval forces, however, are still under the U.S. control, and based on the program in, power since 2008, the Iraqi army will receive these bases in several stages until 2020." Zebari added in interview.

He outlined that "terrorism was defeated in Iraq and the Iraqi police can maintain the security of the cities, as the intelligence information service increased to the extend that Iraq did not need U.S. forces to maintain security since June 2009 until now. However, our problem lies in the protection of the border points and supervising the air and naval forces, and for this purpose we will need to help U.S. troops. "

The U.S. forces in Iraq had withdrew by the end of June 2009 from all Iraqi cities, and handed over the security file the Iraqi security apparatus, by virtue of the "SOFA" agreement signed between Baghdad and Washington in 2008, that states on handing over all military bases in the U.S. Army and the NATO mission according to a schedule that expires end of 2011 ; before this date the U.S. reduce its forces to 50 thousand troops in Iraq in August 2010.

By virtue of the agreement the U.S. should withdraw all its troops from Iraq by December 31, 2011.

ae AKnews
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/174380/