Local official says step prolonging U.S. presence rejected

NINEWA / IraqiNews.com: A Ninewa local council member on Monday said recent security “escalations” in the province are the work of parties “benefiting” from the presence of U.S. forces there, rejecting any steps that would prolong the presence of the U.S. military. “I call on the Iraqi government to provide security in the province to throw a spanner in those parties’ plans,” Yahya Abad Mahjoub told IraqiNews.com news agency. “We would never accept any steps that result in prolonging the presence of U.S. forces in the province of Ninewa beyond the date set in the status-of-forces agreement (SOFA), which was signed between the Iraqi and U.S. government,” added Mahjoub, a member of the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP). He pointed out that political differences “would provide a chance for some criminals to shake security. Accordingly, I appeal to the parties to the dispute to settle their differences, reach a solution for the interest of the province and start activating the economy and services”. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa, 405 km north of Baghdad, has seen security escalations during the past recent weeks and political tension after the new local administration was formed. AmR (P)/SR 1