U.S. commander says Iraqi forces will face challenges

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: U.S. Brigadier-General Keith Walker, commander of U.S. teams embedded with Iraqi forces, said that security challenges will face the Iraqi forces after the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from the cities by the end of next June. “There are security challenges still facing the Iraqi forces’ work despite the upgrade of the latter’s capabilities in implementing security and military missions, but some armed attacks leave several military and civilian casualties,” General Walker told IraqiNews.com news agency. He stressed that the U.S. army committed to the agreement to withdraw troops from cities and towns by the end of June. On December 13, 2008, the Iraqi government signed a long-term agreement with the United States , known as the Status-of-Forces Agreement (SOFA) to regulate the presence and withdrawal of foreign troops after 2008. Under the agreement, a complete troop withdrawal from Iraq is supposed to take place by the end of 2011. “There will be no change in the army’s strategy after the withdrawal from cities and districts by the end of June and our mission will be supporting the forces in case the Iraqi government requests it, as well as training these forces,” the general said. U.S. combat forces are scheduled to leave the Iraqi cities and districts by the end of June within preparations for withdrawal from Iraq by August 2010, to be completed by the end of 2011 commensurate with U.S. President Barack Obama’s plan. Currently there are 143,000 U.S. troops and 4,100 Britons in Iraq . For his part, member of the parliament’s security and defense committee, Firyad Rawandouzi, told IraqiNews.com news agency that preparations for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from the cities by the end of June according to the security agreement is good.” “There is coordination between defense interior and national security ministries with the rest of the security authorities and the general commander of the armed forces and the U.S. army on these preparations and ways to fill the space which could happen as a result of the withdrawal,” he explained. “According to the agreement the U.S. forces should withdraw from all cities without exception,” he said. Political analyst, Essam al-Fiyli said that “ hints made by Americans on remaining in Iraq assert that the withdrawal operation will not be integrated.” “The withdrawal process has not been integrated so far as the U.S. forces hinted that they could remain in some cities after June,” he noted. SH (I)/SR 1