No security vacuum after U.S. forces withdraw – BOC

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: There will be no security vacuum when the U.S. forces have withdrawn from cities by virtue of the Iraqi-U.S. security pact, a senior security official affirmed on Thursday. “The Baghdad Operations Command will not leave any gap or security vacuum when the U.S. forces have withdrawn from Iraqi cities by the end of next June,” Maj. General Qassim Atta, the BOC chief, told IraqiNews.com news agency. “U.S. forces’ pullout from the Green Zone, central Baghdad, will be over three stages,” he added. The heavily-fortified U.S. protected green zone hosts the Iraqi government, the U.S. and British embassies, in addition to a number of Arab and western diplomatic missions in Iraq. MH (P)/AmR 1